'>.   V 


1/   •, 


^/- 


LIBRARY 

OP  \TUE 

Theological   Seminary, 

I'niNCETON,    N.J. 

^«'^'    ^.^-.^.: .Division ;._ 

*'"«'/-' -^UQ     Section 

^<>oh,  J No,  ' 


^^.f^A-^j^-y/-^^^^^^^^  ^^^^x<^un^ 


THEORETIC  EXPLANATION^    • 

O  F     T  II  £ 

SCIENCE  OF  SANCTITY. 

ACCORDINGTO 

REASON,  SCRIPTURE,   COMMON  SENSE,   AND 
THE  ANALOGY  OF  THINGS  : 

CONTAINING 

AN   IDEA  OF    GOD:    OF  HIS    CREATIONS,   AND 

KINGDOMS  :   OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES  : 

OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  TRINITY,  AND 

OF  THE  GOSPEL  SYSTEM.  . 

^ 


By    THOMAS  FESSENDEN,    A.  M. 
PASTbR  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  vvALPOLE,   f Xno- Hampfiire. ) 


Beware  kfi  any  manffoilyou  through  Phitofophv  and  vain  deceit, 
after  the  traditions  of  men,  afur  the  rudiments  cf  ih^  wiTrld. 
and  nut  after  Chrifl,  P^-i' 

/  have  raifed  up  thy  Sons  0  Zion,  a^ainfi  tjiy  Sovs  0  Grace. 

ZeC  11  a  r  iak. 

They  received  the  word  zcith  aU  readlncfs  of  muid,  andfearched 
the  Scriptures  daily  zchether  ihofe  things  vjcre  fo  :  Therefore 
many  of  them  belitved.  ^  ""       Acts 


r  R  1  N  T  K  ri 
Bv   WILLIAM   FESSENDEN, 

rOR     THE     AUTHOR, 

BrattUboro\ 
1804. 


PRE  F  A  G  E. 


RELIGION  is  the  chief  concern  of  man,  and  th-£ 
knowledge  and  practice  of  it,  are  every  individuals  proj-.er 
bujfinefs.  The  theoretic  is  the  foundation  of  rhe  pracli^ 
part  of  it,  as  without  knowled_.;>v"  ncitlie"  r!ie  heart,  iior  Hfe 
can  be  good.  Every  pcrfon  therefore  ilioa'.d  cjigige  in  the 
ftudy  of  it,  and  not  leave  it  entirely  to  that  order  of  men 
which  is  fet  a  part  to  teach,  and  recommend  it  to  other-;. 
That  hioiulcdge  of  the  holy  ivh'ich  is  uinh'rjlariding,  caii  no  nicv^ 
come  by  chance,  lie  expected  by  immediate  infufioi,  or  be 
transferred  by  imputation,  than  any  other  fcicncc  can  be  ac- 
quired by  thefe  meana.  Men  may  live  v/ithout  an  acquain- 
tance v/tth  other  fciences,  but  this  knowledge  is  necefTary 
to  the  life  of  every  moral  bein.g.  The  defi^^n  of  the  autlior, 
in  the  following  pages,  is  to  give  a  confillent  account  of 
God,  arid  of  his  true  religion  ;  of  the  original,  the  prefent, 
arid  of  the  future  (late  of  the  rational  univerfe,  and  panic u^ 
larly  of  the  human  fpecie?.  It  is  an  event  much  to  be  de- 
fired  that  the  credit  of  this  firit  of  fciences  for  importance, 
and  utility,  might  b^  revived  ;  and  that  in  this  age  of  free 
enquiry,  an.d  great  improvement  in  other  fciences,  this  may 
not  lacquey  after  them  in  its  advances  tovv-aras  perfcclion. 
The  writer  is  far  from  fuppofing  with  a  late  cnii:i:nt  divine 
in  an  election  fermon,  that  no  real  ufeful  improvement 
can  be  m.adein  the  fcience  of  theology. "^  An  indoitnt  a«^qui- 
efcence  in  lb  ignoble,  and  unrounded  a  fentiment,  oi  f  j  e 
other  faulty  reafon,  is  the  caiife  that  fo  many  profellioe.ai 
teachers  of  religion,  men  of  the  greaieft  ability,  and  amp'.eifc 
means  of  making  proficiency  in  divinity,  turn  their  arttntiojt 
toother  ftudieS/  and  feek  celebrity,  to  the  negle<tl  of  tln^ 
divine  (ludy^  whicli  is  their  \\tt  in  more  fenfes  than  one.  ft 
is  confefied  that  peculiar  difiicultles  have  aitended  the 
ftudy  of  the  fcriptures  where  a  man  was  difpofed  to  think 
and  judge  for  himfelf-  See  Biihop  Hare/s  leiterto  a  youi'.g 
clergyman  upon  this  fubje6f,  whof::ruples  not  to  aifirni  that 
the  orthodox  faith,  fo  called,  never  was  the  reflilt  of  an 
impartial  ftudy  of  the  holy  fcriptures.  Dr.  Wau^;  in  ;  is 
aiifceilani-s  under  *'  foulo  in  fetters,"  Chap.  Ivii  hath  fme- 
thing  to  this  ourpofe,  worth  tranfcvibinij. 
=^Dr.  utiles. 


\v  PREFACE. 

"  There  are  feme  noble  fouls  imprifoned  from  their  in- 
fancy, within  the  pale  of  a  particular  clan,  or  narrow  tribe, 
7ivA  they  mufl  never  dare  to  think  beyond  thofe  limits. 
What  fhameful  bars  are  laid  in  the  way,  to  obRruft  the 
progrefs  of  knowledge,  and  the  growth  of  the  intelle<n:ual 
workl  !  Generous  fentiments  are  ftifled,  and  forbid  to  be 
born,  left  the  parent  of  them,  who  perhaps  belongs  to  one 
ft'clf  fliould  be  fufpeded  of  too  much  intimacy  with  anoth- 
er ;  and  a  thoiifand  brave,  and  free  thoughts,  are  crufhed 
to  death  in  the  very  bud,  left  they  fhould  look  like  the  off- 
fprinc:  of  ajorcign  frihcy  when  they  appear  in  open  light. 

"What  a  wretched  influence  names,and  fe^ls,  and  parties 
have  upon  the  commonwealth  of  chriftianity  I  we  hardly 
dare  believe  ourfelves,  when  we  have  found  cut  a  truth  if 
our  anceftors  did  not  believe  it  too  :  O  where  (hall  that  city 
{land  whofe  inhabitants fhall  traffic  in  inteile61:ual  treafures, 
^vA  fet  forth  all  their  new  improvements,  and  acquili- 
tions  in  open  day  light,  without  the  danger  of  public  penal- 
lies  or  reproach  ?  Where  fhall  that  happy  race  be  born, 
tvJio  (hall  fee  truth  with  an  unbiafTed-  foul,  and  (hall  fpeak 
it  freely  to  mankind,  without  the  fear  of  parties,  or  the  odi- 
um of  fingularity  ?  When  fhall  that  golden  age  arife,  in 
which  every  rich  genius  fhall  produce  his  brighteft  fenti- 
ments to  the  lionor  of  God,  and  to  the  general  profit 
of  men,  and  yet  ftand  ey.empted  from  common  flander  ? 
When  fhall  the  facred  mines  of  fcripture  be  digged 
vet  deeper  than  ever,  and  the  hidden  riches  thereof 
be  brougiit  cut  of  their  long  obfcurity,  to  adorn  the  doc- 
trine of  God  our  Savior  ?  O  that  thefe  dark  and  ftormy 
days  of  party,  and  prejudice  were  rolled  away  j  that  men 
would  once  give  leave  to  their  fellow  chriftians  to  fpell  out 
feme  ancient  and  unknown  glories  of  the  perfon  of  Chrift 
which  arc  contained  in  fcripture,  and  to  unfold  fome  liid- 
d.zn  wonders  of  his  gofpel  !  The  wifeft  of  men  know  yet 
but  in  part  :  and  it  is  always  poil^ble  to  grow  wifer,  at  lead 
on  tliis  fide  heaven  ;  but  public  prejudice  is  afriend  todark- 
ncfs :  nor  could  ignorance,  and  error,  without  this  Ihield 
liave  defended  their  thrones  fo  long,  among  creatures  of 
rcafon,  under  the  light  of  divine  fun  beams/*  Since  the 
Dr's  day  a  few  unfettered  fouls  in  £urcpe,  and  America, 
have  queftioned  and  expofed  feme  points  of  reputed  ortho- 
doxy, venerable  for   Uieir  antiquin^,  and  ilrorg  by  the    an- 


PRIFACc:.  r 

tliority  of  creeds,  fathers,  councils,  catcchifms  and  iia:ionar 
cilablifliments  ;  but  much  remains  to  be  clone  to  fet  bib].: 
truth  in  a  clear  point  of  light,  'ihe  fpcculatlonr.  of  PiaM-, 
and  the  fchoLi'ilicirm  of  the  ilagiritc  are  Itiil  blended  with 
the  fciencc  of  fandity  ;  tradition  and  metaphyfics  are  not 
yet  difcarded  from  divinity.  Dr.  Watts  in  liis  improve- 
ment of  the  mind  gives  fome  very  good  dire<?:ions  as  to 
iludy  which  have  not  been  foljou'ed  either  by  hvmfel^,  or 
others  in  theological  refearches.  *<  The  hril  direction  if^ 
to  diftinguifh  bawecii  words  and  things.  The  greateli; 
dangeris  in  tliefacred  fciencc  of  theology,  v/here  fettled  terms 
and  phrafes  have  been  pronounced  divine,  -and  orthodox, 
vviiich  yet  have  had  no  meaning  in  them.  The  fcholallic 
divinity  furnirneth  with  numerous  infhnccs  of  this  folly. 
For  many  ages  a'l  truth,  and  all  h.erefy  liave  been  deter^ 
mined  by  fuch  fenfelefs  tells,  ar.<i  by  words  without  ideas  ; 
fuch  (liibbolcths  as  thefe  liavc  decided  the  fecular  fates  of 
men  ;  and  blfnopricks  or  burnings,  mitres  or  faggots,  have 
been  the  rewards  of  different  perfons,  according  as  they 
pronounced  thefe  corifecrated  fyilablcs,  or  not  pronounced 
them.  'Jo  defpile  them,  to  doubt  or  deny  them  v/as  tor- 
ture and  death." 

*<  Another  dire<9i;lon  is  to  be  very  curious  in  examining 
all  propofidons  that  pretend  to  t]\c  honor  of  being  general 
principles,  and  not  without  evidence  to  admit  into  this  rank 
mere  maticrs  of  connncn  fame,  or  commonly  reccivLd 
opinions;  no  nor  the  general  determinations  of  the  learn- 
ed ;  or  the  eitablifned  articles  of  any  church  or  nation,  &:. 
for  there  are  many  learned  prefumptions,  many  fyaodical 
and  national  millakes,  many  eOaulilhed  falfclioods,  as  well 
as  many  vulgar  errors  vvhereln  multitudes  of  men  have  fol- 
lowed one  another  for  whole  ages,  almoll  blindfold.  It  id 
of  great  importance  for  every  man  to  be  careful  that  thefe 
general,  pi  incipies  are  jud:  and  true  ;  for  one  error  may  lead 
us  into  thoufands,  which  will  naru  ally  follow,  if  once  a 
leading  falfehvMxl  be  admiited."  The  ufi  that  hath  been 
made  in  divinity  of  the  -woidsef/l'ficcy  hyp-)flatical,  nature, con- 
fidered  as  an  agent  of  the  word  innu  itfelf,  and  ofjidsh,  and 
Jpirif,  and  many  otliTS  •,  and  the  reception  of  feme  doc- 
trines without  the  exercift-:  of  reafon.  and  common  fenfe,  are 
juftly  owing  to  t:ie  not  adh  rring  to  tlie  above  ruh:s.  Heiic .; 
originates,  the  dotSlrincs  of  a  triune    Deity,  an  eternal  SOn'^ 


vl  PREFACE. 

of  a  Chrift  preexiftent  to  Jefus  who  was  made  Chrift^  plac- 
ing the  officer  before  the  perfon,  of  one  nature's  being  in 
one  place,  and  the  perfon  whofe  nature  it  is  being  in  ari^ 
other,  and  on(^nature's  acting,  and  the  other  nature  of  the 
fame  perfon  being  quiefcent,  of  the  humiliation,  and  exal- 
tation of  a  nature,  of  a  fon*s  being  felf  exiftent  yet  derived^ 
of  an  incarnation  by  the  aflumption  of  a  reafonable  foul,  as 
well  as  true  bot!y,  of  a  perfons  being  born  man  and  a  Son  of 
man,  who  had  only  a  divine  Father,  born  of  a  woman  who 
knew  not  a  man,  &c.  Thefe  and  more  abfurditics,  arc 
held  to  by  the  reputed  orthodox,  and  all  becaufe  they  do 
not  diftinguifli  between  words y  and  things y  or  take  for  gen- 
eral true  principles,  things  not  true,  or  deferving  of  this 
honor.  To  vindicate  their  abfurditics  reconrfe  is  had  to 
mxjieriesy  which  with  fome  are  inexplicables  and  unintelli- 
gibles.  I'his  bars  all  enquiry  into  them  only  by  themfelve4, 
and  when  they  have  become  bewildered  by  words  of  their 
qwn  without  knowledge,  they  forbid  under  the  pains  of 
fullering  as  hereticks,  all  who  dare  to  peep  through  the 
vail,  into  their  fecrets.  And  when  this  will  not  do,  the 
tiillincliGii  gf  above  reafon,  and  againftreafon  is  prefented  j 
i^nd  the  mode  of  exiftence  in  the  divine  being  is  faid  to  be 
diffvirent  from  that  of  all  other  beings.  The  diftin£tion. 
of  above  reafon,  and  contrary  to  reafon  is  futile,  as  they  ufe 
it,  and  the  othrr  about  the  mode  of  the  divine  exiftences  is 
an  unknowable  even  to  them.  Exidence,  perfonality,  pa- 
ternity, individuality,  and  regality,  as  to  him^  mean  the  fame 
thing,  as  when  applied  to  men,  v/ith  only  a  fpecific  difFer-r 
fincein  the  fubjeft,  and  a  gradual  difference  alfo.  Brucker 
in  his  hiftory  of  Philofnphy,  as  tranflated  by  Enfield,  tells 
us  that,  "The  Jews  fuppofed  the  ftream  of  wifdom  which 
they  profeflcd  to  derive  from  thei^  own  facred  fountain,  had 
formerly  flowed  out  of  their  own  inclofure  into  neighboring 
countries  ;  and  that  the  oriental  Egyptian,  and  Grecian 
fchools  h?:d  been  at  firft  indebted  to  the  land  of  IlVael  for 
their  knowledge.  Philo  and  other  learned  Jews  to  flatter 
their  ownvanity,  and  that  oftheir  countrymen,  induflrioufly 
propagated  this  opinion  :  and  the  more  learned  Fathers  of 
the  chriilian  church,  who  tliought  highly  of  the  Grecian  par- 
ticularly of  the  Platonic  philofophy,  haftily  adopted  it,  imag- 
ining that  if  they  could  trace  back  the  moll  valua^^le  doc- 
trines of  paganifm  to  a  Hebrew  origin,  this  couljd  not  fail  t<5 


PREFACE.  vii 

recommend  the  Jewlfh  and  Chriftlan  religion  to  the  notice 
of  gentile  philofophers.     Many  learned  divines  relying  im- 
plicitely  upon  thefe  authorities,  have    maintained  the  fame 
lanfounded    opinion.     The  Fathers  of  the  church  foon  de- 
parted from  the   fimplicity  of  the    apoflolic    do^irine,  and 
corrupted  the  purity  of  the  chriftian  faith  with  philofcphlc 
mixtures.     Firft  by  allegorical  interpretations.     Secondly 
by  fubtle  metaphyfical  fpeculations,  which  the  learned  con- 
verts  from  paganifm,    brought  with  them,  and   retained  a 
fondnefs  for,  and  made  an   unjultifiable  ufe  of  to  bring  the 
philofophers  over   to  chriftianity.     The    Fathers    fuppofed 
that  M^-hat  was   valuable  in  the  pagan  philofophy,   was  the 
remnant  of  fome  former  revelation  from  the  Logos,  an  idea 
of  whom  they  took  from  Plato,  or  had  been  purloined  from 
the  Hebrews  or  Chriftians,  and  might   therefore    fairly  be 
claimed  by  the  chriftian  church.     Juftin    iMartyr,  the  firife 
platonizer  of  St.  John's  Logos,  fuppofed  it  to  be  the  emana- 
ting reafon  of  the  divine  nature  :  that  he  iiofpired  the  proph- 
ets, and  was  afterwards   the  Chrifl  who  appeared   in  ilefii, 
and  to  have  been  participated  by  the  patriarchs  and  the  more 
excellent  pagan  philofophers  :  and  that  every  tenet   in  their 
writings,  which  he  could  any  way  reconcile  to  the  dodrinu' 
of  Chriil,  he    looked   upon  a?,  a  portion  of  divine  wifiom 
tvhich   chriftians    might  juflly    appropriate   to  thsmfelves. 
And  fome  of  the  heathen  philofophers  made  ufe  of  artifice 
to  corrupt   the   chriftlan  doctrines,    blending    them   with 
their  own,  and  fo  prevented   many   from  leaving  them   fof 
chriftianity,  and  fpoiit  many   chriftians  through    philofophy 
'^nd  vain  deceit      And  the  eiK;61:^    thereof  continue  to  this 
day  in  fome  of  the  leading  articles  ol:"  the  reputed  orthodox 
chriftian  faith.     The  writer   of  the   following  ftieets  hath 
purfued  a  popular  manner,  agreeably  to  the  character  oi'  thtj 
holy  fcriptures,  in  treating  of  the -fubjecls  which  come  un- 
der his  conllderation.     He  hath  difcarded  all  human  author- 
ity, and  appealed    to   infpiratio4i   only,  aj;   tli'i  itnit  of  it  is 
judged  of  by  reafon  and  the  analogy  of  things,  if  his  idea.-^ 
dre  right  with  thefe,  he  is  unconcerned  whether  they  are  new 
or  old.     He  venerates  the  pi^ty  of  the  Fathers,  and  is  thank- 
ful for  nny,  afTiftance  Ftom  them,  but  will,  not  iubfcribe  tc^ 
their  infalithiiity.     He   hath  aim ^d  to  ileer  his  courfe  be- 
fcvrcicu  the  errors  of   reputed    orthonoxy,  and   hercfy,  iht 
5cylb    and  Charybdis  of  divinity,  Hnding  repugnances  t^ 


viii  PREFACE. 

truth  on  both  fides.  Iiijiisflile  and  languiigt-,  he  hath  mack 
ufc  of  fome  compoun<i  words,  as  no  others  expreiTed  his 
idea  :  one  in  particular,  creature-tranfcendanty  is  more  defini- 
tive than  the  word  dlv'itify  becaufe  a  perfon  may  be  divine 
by  a  participation  of  the  divine  nature  and  in  other  refpe^ts 
a  creature  ah"^-;,  as  iioly  angels  and  faints  are,  but  only  the 
Chriftiaa  Trinity,  are  all  divine,  or  creatu^e-tranfcendant. 
He  hath  kept  St.  Auguiline's  words  in  view,  "  mallem  rep" 
rehendent  pninmatui^  a  nam  non  inteUigant  popiili  :  I  had 
rather  grammarians  (liould  fault  me,  than  people  not  under- 
lamd  me.  St.  Paul  was  of  the  fame  mind  as  to  people's 
Xindeiftanding  him.  J.  Cor.  xiv.  19.  As  the  author  denies 
infallibiliry,  to  others  he  doth  not  arrogate  it  to  himfelf.  He 
hath  long  thought  that  fomething,  tending  to  give  a  clear, 
comprehtnfive  and  confiftent  view  of  the  theory  of  religion 
mi;jht  be  ufeful,  and  hatli  waited  to  fee  fome  ab/er  writer 
undertake  it,  but  none  hath  done  ic,  as  he  hath  fecn.  It  is 
the  opinion  of  the  author  tha^  much  of  the  oppofition  to  rev- 
elation arifes  from  not  underftai^ng  it,  owing  to  the  par- 
tial or  wrong  views  that  have  been  p;ivcn.o'  it.  Whether  this 
tlieory  will  any  ways  counteradt  this  evil,  the  event,  muft 
fiiew.  One  evil  it  is  hoped  will  be  deftroyed,  the  avoid- 
ini:  that  Baalzibub  offms^  even  the  making  any  other  rule 
of  faith,  than  reafon,  fcripture,  common  faith,  and  the  anal- 
ogy of  things.  The  author's  earnefl:  prayer  to  the  Fa  the:  of 
light,  and  he  v^^ifiies  oth<jrs  to  join  in  it,  is,  that  divine  truth, 
nnd  its  unfailing  attendant  charity,  may  have  a  more  difFu- 
five  fpread,  and  that  the  whole  earth  maybe  filled  with  the 
unadulterated  knowledge  of  God  and  his  word  •,  and  that  di- 
vine love  and  philanthropy  may  pofiefs  and  aftuate  every  Iiu- 
man  bread.  And  fince  in  this  imperfect  ftate,  we  all  know- 
but  in  part,  let  none  content  themfelves  with  nrefent  attain- 
ments butafpirc  after  the  greatell  attainments  now  polhblej 
•ind  be  gradually  progreffing  towards,  the  perfeftion  attaina- 
ble in  the  future  Icenes  of  things  where  there  will  be  a  direct. 
view  without  the  intcrpofition  of  any  obllrudting  medium^ 
Hiul  a  full  difeovery  oi  the  wifdom,  benevolence,  and  grace 
of  God,  and  of  all  his  ways  towards  the  whole  of  his  crea- 
tion, but  efpecially  towards  that  noble^  and  highly  favored 
part,  his  human  cjfqyr'r.g. 


THEORETIC  EXPLANATION 

OF  THE 

StMENCE  OF  SANCTITY- 


■tHE  Science  of  Sanctity  is  that  "knowledge  of  tlia 
boly  which  is  under{l?ndmg.'»  Frov.ix.  lO.  It  juftly  merits 
the  preference  to  all  other  fciences  in  importance  and  utility, 
when  the  objetls  it  is  converfant  about,  and  the  concern  and 
intered  every  individual  hath  in  it,  are  eonfidercd.  This 
{pecies  of  learning  can  only  be  acquired  by  the  fludy  of  the 
t'olumes  of  nature,  and  of  revelation,  as  explained  by  reafon 
(«omrnon  ^nk^  and  the  analogy  of  things.  The  works  of 
nature,  and  things  eartlilvj  being  only  figures  and  patterns  of 
things  fpiritual  snd'lieavenly,  the  faving  knowledge  of  the 
truth  is  not  attainable  by  the  fludy  of  the  book  of  nature 
alone,  yet  an  attentive  perufal  of  it  will  contribute  much 
thercuntoj  if  iht/paijic  difference  between  thefe  kinds  of  things 
is  carefully  attended  to  and  obferved.  The  foundation  princi- 
ple of  this  holy  fcienee,  is  the  true  knowledge  of  the  only  true 
God.  Thst  fach  a  being  doth  exifl  hath  been  validly  provedl 
by  many  learned  wrifcrs,  nor  is  it  denied  by  any  but  the 
P  fa  1  mi  ft 'sy^ot,  and  he  feerns  n-ther  to  have  v/iilied  for  none,* 
^b?.n  to  have  firmly  believed  there  was  none^  Rut  there  is  a 
B 


io  AN  IDEA  OF  GOD. 

{en{e  in  wLlch  the  owners  of  the  exigence  of  a  Deity  may  be 
a  theoi,  atheifis,  or  without  God,  and  not  know  him  that  is  the 
true  God,  nor  worfhip  him  in  his  true  charaQer,  but  zoorjhip 
ihey  knore  v.ot  tohaty  as  the  Samaritans  did,  even  though  they 
received  as  canonical,  the  five  books  of  Mofes,  and  intention- 
ally terminated  their  worfhip  on  the  true  God.  John  iv.  19, 
God  hath  been  reprefented  by  fome  as  unknowable^  and  by  others 
a  wrong  idea  hslh  been  given  of  him.  But  he  is  unknown 
only  by  thc_^ wicked  ;  holy  people  do  knozu  their  God,  and  to 
know  the  only  true  God,  is  laid,  by  him  that  declared  him,  to  he 
life  eternal  unto  men. 


CPIAP.  I, 


AN     IDEA    OF     GOD, 


GOD  is  dcjinitivdy  the  Divine  Majejfy  aSlually  reigning  ani 
t'AerciJing  imptrial  fztmy  over  the  univerje  of  creatures.  Rev. 
xix.   6.  Pf.  xcvii.    1.   xcix.    5. 

This  is  an  exa6l  and  regular  definition  of  him.  The  calling 
him  a  moft  pcrfeSl  ejfcnce^  zpure  mind,  or  intelligence,  is  not  expref- 
five  or  determinate  ;  and  even  the  appellations  of  the  Supreme 
Being,  or  the  grsatej,  bejl,  and  zvifeji  Being,  do  riot  fliew  tohc^ 
and  zchat  he  is.  An  cfTence  is  no  being,  but  the  conftitutive 
property  of  one  ;  and  the  rcoft  perfect  being  is  laudatory,  but 
not  definitive.     The  above  definition  imports, 

1.  That  God  is  one  fingularperfon,  according  to  the  common 
definition  of  a  pcrfon,  even  a  diflinB  individualinidUClualifl,  zcrih 
an  in  dividual  fubflance  for  his  life  or  nature. 

Neither  reafon,  revelation,  nor  common  fen le  admit  of  more 
thari  one  Divine  rvlnjedy,  or  King,   having  one  undciflandingj 


AN   IDEA   OF  GOD.  ^ 

mind,  will,  eternal  power  (potentacy)  and  godhead.  Rom.  i.  20. 

A  King  and  God  rnuft  be  a  perfon  ;  and  to  conflitute  peiTon- 

ality  there  muft  be  intclkaualicy.     But  there  cannot    be  two 

intellefls  in  one  perfon,  being,  or  God,  without  ddftroying  his 

individuality.     The  terms  God,  Father,  Being,  Jehovah,  King, 

&c.  never  fignify  more  than  one  intelle6lualif?:,  or  intelligent 

agent.     One  Being,  God,  or  Father,  can  have  but  one  inleliefl;, 

■  and  a  perfon  cannot  have  lels  than  one,   and  one  intelle6t  can 

con'ftitute    but    one   inte!le6lualift,    or   intelligent   agent.      A 

inun^f  Jehovah,  three  one  God,  Being,  King,  Father,  &c.  is  as 

much  a  contradiftion,    as    a   three  unit  in  arithmetic,  and  is  a 

plain  repugnance  to  reafon  and  to  the  kriptures  of  the  Old  and 

New  Teftaraent,  and  even  to  common  fenfe,  when  men  fuffer 

themfelves   to  exercife  it.      Deut.    vi^   45.      I.    Cor.    viii.   4. 

Gal.  iii.  20.     I.  Tim.  ii.  5.      It  is  to  one  fmgular  aV,  perfonal 

God,   certain  perfe£lions,  operations   and  vvorks   are  afcribed, 

and  not  to  any  effence,  which  is  no  being,  but  the  properly  of 

one,    or  the  vital  fubfhance  of  a  perfon,   nor    to    any  .three  one 

Jehovah,  King,  God,  or  BciFig. 

2.  The  above  definition  imports  God  to  be  a  pcilon  of 
cminency  or  dignity.  This  is  fo  conimon  a  notion  of  God, 
that  whenever  men  think  of  him,  their  mmd  reacheih  at  lome- 
thing,  than  which  there  is  nothing  higher,  or  more  fublimc. 
The  Hebrews  often  ufe  the  term  God  for  the  fuperlative  degree. 
In  the  Greek,  Mofes  is  faid  to  be  fair  as  God.  A£ts  vii.  20. 
Cedars  of  God,  are  the  highefl  cedufs.  St,  Augufti;ie  calkd  the 
Deity,  the  Supreme  Greats  or  Grciit  Supreme. 

3.  God,  as  the  divine  majefty,   is  tranfcendeut  to  creatures. 
Creatures  may  be  denominated,    aiid  really   be,  divine,   by  a 

participation  of  the  divine  nature,  as  holy  angels,  and  the 
regenerate  are  ;  or  by  reafon  of  their  fate,  as  thrones  among 
angels,  and  rulers  among  men  :  but  God  is  creator,  tranf- 
^endent  in  nature  ^nd  flute.     In  the  u:nverfe,   there  are  Goi;!, 


1^  AH    IDEA   or  GOD. 

and  creatures,  and  nothing  elfe  :  God  is  uncreated,  and  exifls 
by  neccflity  of  nature  without  any  manner  of  caufation  ;  but 
all  that  is  not  God  is  created.  The  Creator  mufl  be  of  fuperior 
dignity  to  the  creature,  and  of  another  ^;mVj  of  being.  But 
as  there  may  be  emincncy  without  authority,  and  a  decree  of 
divinity  of  nature,  and  of  ftatc,  where  no  religious  fubjeaioa 
is  due  ; 

4.  Therefore,  the  full  iuea  of  God  is  that  of  the  Divine 
Majefty,  pofiefTed  of,  and  actually  exercifing  imperial  fway 
ever  the  univcrfe  of  creatures. 

Every  idea  of  the  Deity  fiiort  of  the  divine  fovereignty,  i§ 
defeftive,  and  infers  no  obligation  to  religious  worfnip.  If 
God  is  not  King,  the  enquiry,  "Who  is  Lord  over  us?'- 
hath  no  anfwer.  Theos,  in  Greek,  which  anuv^rs  to  the; 
Hebrew  El,  Eloah,  Elohim,  which  are  tranilated  Godj  denote 
fovereignty  and  dominion,  as  the  learned  Grotms  juRly  obferves. 
Dr.  Hammond  faith,  "  The  title  God,  is  fufficiently  Jcnowii 
from  his  fuprerae  pov^er  over  all.'*  The  Jews  alfo  inform  ms^ 
He  is  called  Eiohirri,  becaufe  he  is  Lord  and  Judge  of  all  gods. 
Judges  and  other  rulers  are  called  Elohim,  and  even  Molef 
was  an  Elohira  to  Pharaoh,  but  certainly  not  a  trinity.  Exod. 
xxii.  28.  Comp.  A£ls  xxiii.  3.  Pf.  Ixxxii.  j.  Exod.  vii.  !• 
The  name  of  God  denotes,  that  he  is  of  imperial  condition,  and 
the  raofl:  high,  therefore  rulers  as  fuch  are  fons  of  the  molt  high. 
In  Kiipture,  Lord,  God,  and  King,  are  applied  to  the  Deity  a$ 
fynonymous.  J.  Tim.  i.  i-y.  Kis  eternal  power  (potentacy) 
and  godhead  are  the  fame,  Rom,  i.  20.  To  the  idea  of 
highnefs  or  moll  high  which  all  men  have  of  Go6,fupremacy  of 
ruky  mufi;  ever  be  joined.  This  is  what  induce§  the  obligation 
of  religion.  A  mere  nature,  mind,  or  fpirit,  is  no  cbjcft  of 
worQiip,  nor  ever,  a  creator,  if  he  is  not  Lord  and  King  alfo. 
Whatever  vital,  or  perfonal  perfefttons,  the  Deity  may  be 
Cpppofcd  pofieffcdofj  hov;ever  infinite  and  perfcyl  bis  bein^ 


AN    IDEA   OF  GOD.  13 

and  under ftandir.g  may  be  ;  or  holy  and  boundlefs  his  nature; 
if  be  15  not  their  king,  lawgiver,  and  judge,  men  are  under  no 
obh'gation   to  be  religious  towards  him.     The  fcripture  titles 
and  doxologics   all  import  him  to  be  an  imperial  perfon,  and 
holy  men  in  their  devotional  addrcITes  conhder  him  as  equally 
their  King,  as  God.      The  anfwer,  in  a  well  known  catechifm, 
to  "What  is  God?'*   "God  is  ^z  fpirit,"  <^c.  lays  no  foundation 
for  worfhip,  as  no  fovereignty  over  us,  or  propriety  in   us,  i$ 
expreffed,  as  a  reafon  or  ground   of  luch  worOiip  ;  and  befides 
the  text  referred  to  is  not,  Gcd  is  a  Spirit,    but  God  is   Spirit^ 
without  an  article  fignincative  of  .his  nature,  and  charatter,  atid 
rot  of  his  immateriality  which  doth  not  diftinguiili  him  from 
Avil  fpirits  only  in  degree,     John  iv.   24.     The  immateriality 
and  incorporiety  of  God  are  no  where  exprelTed  in  fcripture  j 
and  as  our  worflnp  muft  be  like  its  objeft,  fuch  an  idea  would 
exclude  all  bodily  fervicc.   In  prefacing  the  ten  commaQdmcnts, 
God  is  not  flyied  Jehovah,  but  Elohim  ;  the  former  denotes  the 
verity  of  his  being,  the  latter  his  imperial  authority,  a  point  that 
S3uil  firO:  be  eflablirned  in  ena£ling  laws  of  religion.      Sovereign 
ftates  therefore  declare  their  authority  in  the  preamble  to  their 
afts.    God  declares  his  iegifutive  power  thus,  "  I  am  the  Lord," 
or  "  thus  faith  the  Lord."    The  law  determining  who  fhali  rule, 
end  who  be  fub-cS;,  is  fundamental.      Upon  the  declaration  *'  I 
pirn  the  Lord,"  the  authority  of  all  the  commandments  depends. 
The  above  idea  of  the  Deity,  as  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 
%vho  reigneth,  not  only  e>:pre{reth  his  gradual  fupremacy  over 
^11  beings  and  things,  but  his  noAural  aud  fpcdfic  difi':;rsnce  from 
^ii  creatures. 

There  are  two  differences  in  the/cZ^c".?  of  being;;,  reignin^^' 
pnd  fubjeEiion^  or  independency^  and  dependency  :  thf  le  are  but 
two  alfo  in  \.\\q,  yiaturcs  of  beings,  viz.  uncreated)  and  created* 
The  former  belongs  to  God,  who  is  therefore  not  only  in  ftate, 
fsut  nature,  tranfcendent  to  all  creatures.     The  derivation  of 


14  AN   IDEA  OF  GOD. 

divinity  of  ftate,  and  nature,  to  creatures,  deifies  them  fo  far  as 
they  are  communicated  ;  but  creatures  may  exifk  without  them, 
whereas  God  is  the  only  potentate  by  neceflity  of  being,  and  he 
only  is  neceffarily,  originally,  and  abfolutely  holy,  that  is  God 
in  ftate  and  nature. 

Confidering  God  as  the  divine  majefly,  he,  like  other  fupreme 
potentates,  mufl  be  contemplated  as  a  fovcreignty,  or  imperial 
eflate,  in  both  the  ptrjonal  and  rtal  acceptation.  When  St, 
John  faith,  ''  The  zvhole  world  lieth  in  zvickedmfs^"  or  in  the 
wicked  one,  it  is  not  to  be  underftood  perfonally,  but  impcrfon* 
city.  Thus  the  godhead  is  noticed  as  an  impcrfonal  fovereignty, 
when  men  are  faid  to  be  without  God,  or  to  be,  abide  and  dwell 
in  hlra,  that  is  in  bis  divine  fovereignty  or  kingdom  eflate. 

The  idea  of  God,  as  the  divine  majefty,  implies  that  the  name 
God,  as  well  as  Lord,  and  King,  is  a  name  of  honor  in  general, 
and  i>ot  of  an  clTencc,  or  nature,  which    is  no  perfonal  agent. 
A  perfon  of  honor  and  nobility  even  among  Pagans  was  reputed 
divine.      In  fcripture,  which  treats  of  that  branch  of  nobility 
learning  called  titles  of  honor,   the  names    God,   fon,    or  fons, 
and  children  of  God,  are   exprefllvc  of  honor  and  nobility. 
God  is  a  perfon  of  honor.     In   the  temple  his  honor  (perfon) 
dv/elt,   and   it    was   the  habitation  of  his  (perfonal)  holinels. 
Thus   fome  profanely  call  the   Pope  his  holinefs,   and  perfons 
of  dignity  and  authority,  are  called  your  highnefs,  your  excel- 
lency, your   worililp,   and  even  your   majefty.     The    fathers 
call    chriftians,  the  adoptive   nobility,    the  divine  offspring,      A 
king  is  reputed  the  fountain  of  fecular  honor,  and  the  fame  is 
true  of  every  fupreme  ruler,  and  the  glory  of  the  kingdom  is 
the   fummit  of  worldly  honor  :   much  morels  God  the  head, 
fountain  and  utmofl  height  of  divine  nobility,  honor,  and  glory. 
Again,  the  name  of  God  is  fuch  a  title  of  honor  as  figniues 
a  dignity  of  eftatCp 


AN   IDEA   OF  GOD.  ts 

St,  Paul  calls  Felix  moji  nobU^  as  governor.  God  is  divinfely 
noble,  and  excellent  as  the  fupreme  potentate. 

This  name  God  is  to  be  ranked  among  fuperior  digni- 
ties :  it  is  the  crown  dignity.  Chrift,  for  difcharging  aa  office 
well,  was  rewarded  with  an  honorary  dignity,  by  being  crowned 
toith  glory  and  honor.  Heb.  xi.  19.  His  7iame  aboxsz  sverjf 
name,  is  that  of  God.  J-lus  at  his  birth  was  by  nature  and 
dignity  God  as  a  fon  and  heir  :  but  at  his  exaltation  he  was  i^ 
Jiate  God,  which  is  the  name  above  every  name,  the  father 
alone  excepted. 

The  name  God  fignifies  fuch  a  divine  honor  of  edatc  ovrr 
creatures  as  a  king  doth  a  dignity  of  eftate  over  fubje^ls. 

But  this  great  name  God,  as  applied  to  the  divine  majefty, 
imports  fuch  an  honor  as  is  a  religious  kind  sf  honor^  perlonallyy 
and  objeftively. 

To  be  a  God,  Sebafma,  Numen,  devotion,  and  obje^u  of 
worfhip,  are  the  fame.  "All  that  is  called  God,  or  is  wor- 
fhipped."  II.  Theff.  xi.  4.  "  Your  devotions,"  Ads  xvii.  23. 
are  not  their  devotional  a£ls,  but  honors,  worfhips,  or  objeQs* 
The  title  o^ your  worjnip  attributed  to  a  piagiflrate  who  is  ^ 
ilate  God,  hgnifics  that  perfon  of  honor  who  is  the  obje£l  of 
the  att  of  civil  worlliip  or  devotion.  It  is  as  eOTeritial  to  God 
to  be  the  cbjecl  of  the  creature's  divine  worfliipj  as  it  is  to  a 
king  to  be  t^^e  objetl  of  his  fubjefts'  civil  worihip.  There  is 
no  middle  being  between  God  and  creatures,  and  therefore: 
there  can  be  no  middle  v/orR-Aip  of  the  religious  kind  that  is  not 
divine.  Tnus  God  is  inhnitely  above  all  creatures  in  (late  : 
Ifa.  xl.  14.  and  he  is  equally  tranfcendent  In  nature  as  the 
living  God.  having  life  in  himfelf  of  hmifelf,  and  as  being  im- 
peccable, infallible,  immortal,  incorruptible,  ail  wife,  holy,  &c. 
The  great  Jehovah  never  did,  nor  czn  die. 

Having  aJcrCcd  the  tranfcnidmcy  of  God  to  all  creatures  in  his 
rature,  it  is  needful  to  inquire  and fhirjj  uherdn  the  divine  nztiir^ 
eonfi/ls. 


i6  AN  IDEA   OF  GOD. 

By  a  nature^  atidlife^  the  fame  thing  is  to  he  underjlood,  and  it 
is  tke/pecif.c  property  of  a  things  the  vital fuhflance  of  a  bdng^ 
zvhich  conjlitutes,  and  denominates  it,  and  dijlinguijhtth  one  being 
from  all  others  of  another  kind. 

It  is  not  therefore  a  being,  perfon,  or  agent  of  itfelf,  nor  hath  it 
any  exiftencebut  in  relation  to  the  fubje£l  to  which  it  belongs. 
Toafcribe  perfonaia6ls  to  a  nature,  or  to  fpeak  of  worfhipping 
the  divine  nature,  however  common,  is  a  real  impropriety  and 
manifeft  abfurdity*      As  there  are  feVeral  fpecies  of  beings,  eack 
kind  hath  its  own  nature,  which  conftitutes  it,  and  differenceth 
it  from  another.      The  nature   cf  one  being  is  common  to  the 
whole  kind.  There  are  not  two  kinds  of  the  human  nature,  or  of 
the  divine,  how  many  millions  foever  partake  of  each.     Wheia 
Br.  Tillotfon,  on  II.  Vci,  i,  4\  fpeaka  of  our  partaking  of  a  du 
vine  naturCj  he  falls  into  a  raanifeft  impropriety,   as  it  imports 
that  there  may  be  more  than  07ie  divine   nature.      With  equal 
propriety  he  might  fpeak  of    partaking  cf  a  human  nature^ 
as  if  there  were  feverai    kinds  of  human   nature.       In   this 
he  hath   been  implicitly  followed   by  many    through   inatten- 
tion, or  for  want  of  a  habit  cf    thinking.      But   the  truth    of 
fad  is  that  there  is  fpecifically  but  one  divine,  as  there  is  but 
®ne  human   nature.      "  He  that  fan6lifieth,  and  they  who  are 
fanflified,  are  all  of  one,**  Heb.  xi.  1 1.     Saints  as  faints  are  one 
•with  God  and  Chrifl:  by  a  participation  of  the  divine  nature, 
John  xvii.  21.  22.      It  is   an  effcntial  onenefs,  if  nature  and 
eflence  are  the  fame  ;  but  if  effence  fignifies  fomething  different 
from  nature,  as  it  is  nofcripture  word,  Thomas  Aquinas,  or  any 
©ne  elfe  may  have  it.      Confidcring  the  Deity  as  the  fountain 
of  vitality  and   a  parental   providence,    *'  in  him  we  live   and 
move  and  have  our  being."  Afts  xvii.  2,8.      Here  is  a  natur.il 
onenefs,  and  in  holy  beings  there  is   a  fpiritu'al  or  divine  one- 
nefs, for  holinefs  or  fan6lity  is  divinity,  or  eternal  and  divine 
iife.     One  pcifoo  or  b<;ing  m<'.\  liave  more  than  one  nature^  bkit 


AM  IDEA    OF  GOD.  ij 

«nc  perfonal  agent,  or  being,  cannot  have  more  than  cnc  intel- 
b6t  without  dcflroying  his  individuality.  In  men  there  arc 
two  natures,  an  animal  natlire  of  flefh  and  blood,  common  to 
them  and  beafts,  and  a  rational  foul  with  its  vital  i'ubftance, 
wherein  humanity  properly  confifts  ;  and  in  regenerate  chrif- 
tians  the  divine  nature  is  added  to  thefe,  and  yet  there  is  but 
one  individual  perfonality,  as  there  is  biit  one  intelleft; 

Nature  fignifies  an  innate  difpofition  or  conftitution.  It  is 
the  innate  property  of  fome  creatures  to  Ije  favagc,  ferocious, 
and  Doifonous,  and  of  others  to  be  harmlefs.  meek  jBnd  limdcuou's  % 
a  harmlefs  wolf  is  as  contrary  to  nature  as  a  favage  lamb.  Some 
plants  are  wild  by  nature,  and  for  thefe  to  be  grafted  into  a  good 
olive-tree  is  contrary  to  nature,'  Rom.  xi.  24.  All  things, 
creatures,  and  beings,  have  their  conflitutivc  natures,  and  tha* 
courfe  of  a61:s  which  is  accordi^ig  thereuntc^  is  natur?.l. 

Nature  may  be  confidered  as  \hcfuvi.  compreJienfioii,  ov  totaiitjf' 
of  fuch  innate  properties  as  are  merely  vita!.  Sudh  a  naturn 
is  animative,  and  is  found, in  all  vital  beings,  who'  aft  by  £az- 
flinft.  In  {\xQ\i  z  x\dl\yxQ  \\\^xz  zx^  fympalhks  Ti^XiA  antipathies y 
as  between  a  wolf  and  a  (heep,  without  the  exerclfe  of  reaforl 
or  deliberation.  This  nature  is  a  live  impetus^  felf-movinr^ 
propenfion  without  being  externally  driven.  It  is  like  a 
living  fountain  from  whence  ifTue  living  fbreams  ;  or  the  heart 
which  dilateth  and  contia£leth  itfelf  and  pours  out  blood 
through  the  whole  body^  by  an  innate  felf  moving  power 
which  is  its  innate  conftitution,  A  nature  like  this  is  a  prin- 
ciple of  free  rhotion,  aQs  with  eafc  what  is  connatural,  as  meri 
perform  the  natural  a£ls  and  fundions  of  life  with  facilitv. 
It  IS  alfo  a  fixed  permanent  principle,  for  to  chanf^c  nature  is 
difHcult. 

Such  a  naturfe  dirscled  by  an  intcllecl  will  ever  operate,  anrl 
produce  correfpondent  effecls,  where  there  is  no  prevailing 
•bftruftion  or  impf^ciment,  ^ 


i8  AN  IDEA   OF  GOD. 

By  a  nature  as  applied  to  God  is  not  intended  his  metaphyiical 
entity  as  the  firfl  Being,  nor  his  mere  intelleftuality.  Thefe 
conftitute  no  fpccific  difference,  but  only  what  is  gradual^ 
between  him  and  other  beings  or  intelle£lualifls.  Being  or 
cxiftence  in  any  degree  is  no  more  the  divine  nature  than  Be- 
hemoth partakes  of  the  divine  nature  becaufe  he  is  great. 
Creatures  may  exift,  be  invifible,  incorruptible,  intelligent 
and  immortal  in  a  degree,  and  not  partake  of  the  divine  nature. 
Benevolence  to  being,  as  being,  is  no  more  holinefs  than  being 
as  being  is  God.  •  A  very  wicked  agent  may  have  a  good  being, 
and  great  degrees  of  exiftencc. 

The  divine  nature  is  that  whereby  God  is  God.  It  is  his 
life  and  conftitution  ;  it  is  vitaly  true  fandity^  holinefs,  ^^nif, 
light,  love  zndettrytal  lifCi  IL  Pet,  i,  4.  Heb.  xii.  10.  John  iv. 
24.  I,  John  iv,  16.  I.  John  i,  5,  Unbounded  fan6tity  is  the 
vital  fubftance  in  which  the  infinite  intelle6l  of  God  exifts. 
That  which  is  born  of  the  fpirit  isfpirit.  Sanctity  is  nature  ia 
God,  but  grace  in  the  regenerate. 

His  fpecific  nature  as  God,  and  theirs  as  faints,  is  a  vital  nature, 
abhorrent  from  impurity,  by  an  innate  antipathy,  light  without 
any  darknefs  at  all  ;  love  tvithout  any  hatred.  Flefh  born  of  flefh 
is  a  vital  nature,  ipontaneoufly  parturient  of  fin,  in  which  there 
dwelleth  no  good  thing,  it  lufleth  againfl  the  fpirit  and  inclineth 
to  evil  ;  but  the  divine  nature  is  fpirit  lulling  againTc  the  flefli, 
and  inclines  to  what  is  holy  by  an  innate  inftinflive  propenfion. 
The  holinefs  of  God  which  is  his  vital,  perfonal,  and  impe* 
rial  glory,  may  be  confidered  as  a  nature,  as  an  cxercife  er  aci, 
and  a  dignity. 

Holinefs  of  purity  belongs  to  his  nature  and  life,  and  holinefs 
of  dignity  to  his  Jlate,  and  in  both  he  is  glorious,  magnificent 
in  holinefs  :  The  infinitely  holy  one,  and  he  only,  is  holy,  as 
he  only  is  God,  in  the  original  fcpreme  fenfc. 

Divinity  of  nature  is  creature  tranfcendcnt,  that  is  fuper- 
Tiuman  and  fupia-angclical. 


AN  IDEA   OF  GOD.  i^ 

The  unregenerate  partake  of  the  human  nature,  as  truly  as 
the  regenerate,  and  devils  are  of  the  angelical  nature  as  really 
as  the  holy  angels  are,  and  of  as  great  natural  and  intelle£lual 
abilities.  There  may  be  a  goodnefs  of  nature  phyfically  con- 
fidered,  in  the  worfl:  beings  morally.  The  beil  good  human 
nature  among  heathen,  did  not  prevent  their  murdering  by 
thoufands  thofe  chriflians,  for  whom  the  divine  love  naturt 
would  have  engaged  them  to  die.  When  angels  and  men  may 
cxift  without  the  divine  natuie,  it  is  the  eternal  life  of  God. 
The  divine  nature  is  pure  good  nature  without  any  mixture  of 
evil  nature,  mofl  beautiful  and  lovely,  mofl  peaceable,  joyous, 
and  comfortable,  moft  noble,  honorable  and  glorious. 

5.  The  name  God  as  cxprefledby  the  divine  majefly  imports 
him  to  hQ  politically  andjbcietively,  the  intrinfic. vital  head,  and 
God-head  of  an  holy  empire,  or  kingdom  appropriately  his  own 
and  divine. 

This  compleats  the  idea  of  God,  and  comprehends  all  his 
vital,  perfonal,  and  imperial  perfeftions,  and  alfo  denotes  his 
kingdom  to  be  the  region  of  light,  love,  and  eternal  life.  He 
is  no  intrinfic,  >(ital,  imperial  head,  or  God-head,  to  the 
univerfe  at  large  in  its  prefcnt  divided  ftate.  He  is  not  in  fa£l 
th  God  of  this  world  in  a  divine  political  fenf&J  the  univerlc 
is  not  one  tohok,  ccmpofing  the  kingdom,  city,  or  houfe  of 
God.  The'  illuftration  of  this  part  of  the  idea  of  God  is  of 
•reat  importance,  becaufe  the  whole  truth  of  revelation  refis 
upon  it,  and  alfo  as  common  fyftems  of  theology  mention  it 
not,  unlefs  it  be  to  oppofe  it. 

God  being  a  divine  fovercign  over  the  univerfe  of  creatures 
is  of  right  tbcir  imperial  edate  and  God-head. 

This  implies  that  all  rational s  were  originally,  and  noto 
tught  to  be,  in  a  fociety,  or  tlieopolity  of  which  God  is  the 
intrinfic,  vital,  and  imperial  head.^  This  was  the  original  ftate 
of  the  rational   creation  in  the  kingdom  of  God  all  in  all.     It 


£3  AN   IDEA    OF  GOD. 

cannot  be  rationally  fappofed  that  God  at  firft  created  any 
rationals  out  of  fociety  with  hhnfelf^  or  unfit  for  fuch  fociety, 
by  an  alienation  from  his  life,  or  in  a  flat e  of  rebellion  to  his 
government. 

The  fir/l  eflate  of  angels  and  the  fpirits  of  men  was  not 
without  God's  kingdom,  for  that  is  hell  ;  but  thdr  own  habita- 
tion was  in  heaven,  unlefs  there  can  be  found  a  place  in  God's 
creation  that  is  neither  heaven  nor  hell,  within  or  without  his 
J^ingdom.  But  this  is  not  in  fa6l  the  prefent  flate  of  the  rational 
iBoral  univerfe,  however  it  came  to  pafs.  Beings  and  things 
are  divided,  and  revelation  tells  us  fome  angels  fmned,  abode 
not  in  the  truth,  kept  not  their  firji  ejlate.  but  kjt  thdr  own  habita- 
tion s  and  that  under  a  certain  chieftain  who  is  by  ufurpation 
the  god  of  this  world,  they  compofe  a  kingdom  oppofite  to 
the  kingdom  of  God,  Tc  this  kingdom  of  evil  the  other 
order  of  rationals,  the  fpirits  of  men,  now  belong,  and  remain, 
until  born  again  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  John  viii.  44. 
II.  Pet.  ii.  4.  jLide  6.  II.  Cor.  iv.  3.  The  whole  world 
iicth  in  wickednefs,  or  the  wicked  one,  I.  John  v.  1^.  It  is  in 
wickedneis  as  an  intoxicated  perion  is  in  drink  ;  and  its  lying 
init  expreircth  us  abiding  pcflure.  To  be  without  God,  and  iji 
the  world  diQ  the  fame,  confidering  the  world  as  a  polity  oppofed 
to  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  of  Chrifl,  which  is  not  cf  the  world, 
Eph.  ii.  12.  John  xviii,  36.  None  but  holy  angels  kept 
their  ftinding,  and  they  and  the  rcjlored  of  men  are  of  God  ; 
others  are  without  God,  aliens,  flrangers,  and  foreigners,  and 
G^)d  is  zu  extra  fjdf live  head  to  them.  The  Deity  is  the  God 
cj  tJie  fpirits  of  allfffi,  phyfically  confidered,  and  as  a  pareiital 
providence  all  live,  move,  and  have  thnr  bang  in  him  j  he  is  alfo 
king  of  nations  in  a  civil  moral  lenlc  ;  all  of  ri^ht  are  his  fub- 
jcC'h,  but  he  is  only  the  King  and  God  f.^^ faints  in  a  fpiritual 
religious  icnfe.  The  true  God  is  the  deity  of  the  true  religion, 
Ipf  which  the  Jioly  empire  is  the  region,  and  true  leligionifls  tlie 


AN    IDEA   OF  GOD.  21 

Tubjeas.  As  the  Jews  who  ufcd  the  Greek  tongue  were  termed 
hellenifls,  and  were  faid  to  hcUcnize  ;  fo  they  who  are  of  God 
are  thcijts^  and  thcize,  and  the  comprchenfion,  or  lum  total  oF 
their  peculiarities,  nay  be  termed  thdfm  of  religion  and  condi- 
tion. Thus  in  philofophy  there  are  feveral  of  thefe  Jpecijic 
eomprehenfions,  as  platonifm,  epicurirm,  &.c,  (o  are  ihere  in 
religion,  as  paganihn,  judaifm,  chriftlanlfin,  calvlnifrnj  &c. 
The  religion  which  is  of  God  is  theifvi,  true  fanftity  of  religion  ; 
this  founded  his-holy  kingdom,  and  all  who  are  of  God,  are  in 
that,  in  God,  that  is,  are  in  that  fpecIFic  comprehenfion  of  tlungs 
he  is  of,  and  fymbolize  with  him  ;  he  is  the  Father  of  their  family, 
of  whom  it  is  named. 

This  is  an  idea  of  God  the  heathen  were  unacquainted 
with,  and  many  chriftians  feem  to  be  ignorant  of  it,  but  every 
body  of  divinity  is  without  afoul  that  wants  it.  There  av? 
feveral  kingdoms  in  the  world,  each  of  its  proper  kind,  divine, 
chriflian,  human,  diabolica',  worldly  and  heavenly,  and  the 
heads  and  fubjefts  of  them  are  of  like  kind.  The  Pope,  by  his 
votaries,  is  confidered  as  the  head  of  a  papal  empire,  formed 
by  a  fpecies  of  religion  ;  his  fubjeds  confort  with  him.,  and  are 
animated  by  the  fpirit  of  Popery.  He  cannot  be  the  IntrinfiC 
head  of  a  proteft^int  empire  that  doth  not  own  him  or  his 
religion.  The  king  of  England  is  confidered  as  the  head,  not 
only  of  the  civil  ftate,  but  of  the  church  ;  diffenters  own 
him  to  be  their  head  in  the  former  capacity,  but  not  in  the 
latter  ;  as  religionifl,  he  is  not  their  mtrinfic  head.  Thu:, 
God  Is  the  head  of  a  religion  of  his  kini^J,  which  religion  is 
the  inflitution  of  a  polity,  his  religion  which  is  fanftity  makes 
it  a  polity,  a  kingdom  of  faints,  and  He  is  an  intrinfic  vital 
iocietive  head  to  it,  the  lioly  kind  of  God,  and  king  of  it, 
and  all  real  fubje61s  are  in  a  degree  partakers  of  the  clivina 
nature,  live  in  God,  are  one  with  him,  and  their  works  arc 
wrought   in  God,    as  animated  by  the    fpirit  of  God.      Goa 


sa  AN  IDEA  OF  GOD. 

indeed  as  king  of  nations  is  the  author  of  a  religion  which  is 
of  this  world,  where  only  nations  as  fuch  exift  ;  this  religion 
is  civil  religious,  even  the  moral  law,  as  of  civil' religious  inter- 
pretation. Such  was  the  Mofaic  moral  law  in  the  letter  of 
it,  a  this  to  or  Id  religion,  with  a  worldly  fanEiuary,  Heb.  ix,  i* 
15.  but  had  no  promife  of  eternal  inheritance. 

God  is  the  civil  religious  head  of  other  nations,  whofe 
conftitution  is  founded  according  to  his  ordinance,  upon  the 
bafis  of  the  moral  law,  which  is  the  law  of  nations  m  their 
politic  capacity,  fo  far  as  it  is  promulged  to  thera.  It  was 
only  a  belief  in  the  promife  to  which  the  law  v^  as  added,  that 
eonftituted  a  Jew  the  fubjcft  of  God  as  king  of  faints,  and  a 
citizen  of  heaven.  God  cannot  be  the  intrinfic  holy  vital 
head  of  any  other  kingdom  than  of  faints,  any  more  than  Chrift 
can  be  the  intrinfic  vital  head  bf  an  unchriftian,  or  antichrif- 
tian  body.  But  as  this  part  of  the  theory  deferves  a  fuller 
alluflration,   the  following  muft  be  attended  to. 

Firft.  An  explanation  of  ths  titles  of  Lord  and  King  as  belong' 
ing  to  tk-  divine  majefty,  with  a  brief  account  of  fome  of  the 
prerogatives  of  his  fovereignty . 

Secondly.  Over  whom  and  in  what  r,ianncr  the  Lord  God 
omnipotent  reigneth. 

Firfl,  As  to  the  titles  of  Lord  and  King  as  belonging  t» 
the  divine  anajefty,  and  the  ^prerogatives  of  his  fovereignty  of 
imperial  eftate. 

Lord  and  God  are  of  near  affinity,  and  are  often  joined 
in  fcripture.  In  a  civ-il  law  Icnfe,  a  Lord  is  a  fuperior  propri- 
etor of  things  and  perfons.  Math.  xx.  8,  Gen.  xxxi,s35. 
Azpojefor,  God  is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  and  all  things  in 
them.  Governing  powers  of  the  natural  and  legal  kind  are 
Lords  who  have  a  kind  of  propriety  in  thofe  to  whcra  thcv 
ftand  in  this  relation.   I.  Pet,  iii,  6. 


AN   IDEA   OF  GOD.  a^ 

# 

But  an  authoritive  Lord  is  one  that  beareth  rule,  and  is  fo 
far  unfuhjeH,  To  the  civil  foveieignty,  whether  lodged  in 
©ne  or  more  perfons,  the  law  attributes  a  public  iordJJiip,  con- 
fifting  in  the  great  and  fupreme  rights  of  government.  The 
iubje£ls  of  a  legal  lord  are  his  lieges,  and  between  him  and 
them  there  fubfifts  a  mutual  obligation  even  where  no  formal 
contraftis  made.  In  nobility  learning,  which  treats  of  titles 
of  honor,  the  greater  dom'inant  eftates  are  lords.  Jud.  xvi.  8» 
God  as  Lord  is  of  dominant  condition  over  the  univerfe,  as  a 
fupreme  authoritative  power,  panto  crator^  all  imperial^  and  a 
liege  lord  to  his  liege  fubjeds, 

G  O  D  is   KING, 

This  is  of  great  note  in  the  bible,  though  it  is  dirrcgard€,d 
by  many  divines,  and  not  accounted  of  in  mod  fyfleriis,  but 
confidered  as  a  metaphor  vVhen  it  comes  in  their  v/ay.  B«l 
He  is  no  otherwile  Go<i  than  he  is  Kinr^.   I.  Tim.  i.  17. 

Any  dominant  condition  over  things  and  perfons  is  rdgniug-i 
as  the  reign  oi  fni  and  death  over  men.  But  reigning  pro|^ 
erly  belongs  to  fupreme  powers.  Death  is  the  king^  becsufe 
chiif  of  terrors.  Lord  and  king  are  much  alike  in  fcripturs  j 
and  the  kingdom,  eftate  and  dominion  of  God  arc  the  faras, 
Pf.  cxlv.  13.  L  Chron.  XXIX.  ii.  God's  people  call  hita 
the  Lord  the  King,  the  King  of  glory,  the  King  over  all  ih© 
earth. 

The  kingfhip  of  God  imports  a  reigning  condliion  or  eftsts; 
to  this  agrees  the  titles  of  the  raofl:  High,  the  fupreme  Potentate^ 
Power,  <5;c.  Goodnefs,  greatnefs,  glory,  belong  to  him  4S  a 
perfon  of  regal  dignity.  The  reignaig  eftate,  is  the  fuhlmlt^ 
•f  the  godhead,  the/innmity  of  the  divine  fupremacy,  ihcdi^mfjf 
©f  the  pterlcfs  fuptremincncy,  and  tranfccndency  of  God, 

All  the  glories  of  empire  and  "the  prerogatives  of  fovcrii^nty 
Welong  to  God  in  the  fulled  fenfe. 

The  Godhead  eftats  is  a  magnificent  reigning  eftate;an<it^ 


fi^  AN  i6eA   O^  god. 

do  any  thing  royally  is  to  ad  like  a  king.  II.  Sara.  xxiv.  is3, 
A  polity  though  monarchical  may  be  too  fmall  for  a  kingdoru., 
and  fo  profper  into  a  kingdom,      Ezek.  xvi.  13. 

The  kingdom  eftate  of  God  is  unabjeft,  unfubje6t  :  He  hath 
no  equal.  That  God  is  greater  than  man,  was  a  great  truth  t» 
the  orientals  who  deified  their  princes.      Job  xxxiii.  12. 

This  is  a  royal  fublimity  of  condition,  to  whom  belongs  the 
greatnefsjpower,  glory,  raajefty,  kingdom,  vidory,  riches,  honor. 
He  is  exalted  as  head  above  all.  I.  Chron.  xxix.  12.  In 
nobility  learning  the  king  is  the  fountain  of  fecular  honor. 

The  imperial  lawyers  call  the  emperor  the  firfl  of  the  nobility. 
God  is  the  fountain  of  divine  honor,  the  prime  of  divine 
nobility.      All  comes  of  him,   rfnd  to  him  all  is  afcribed. 

The  Godhead  as  lelgning  '  is  the  height  of  glory.  Ezek. 
iii.  12.  Ifa.  iii.  8.  By  the  Schekinah  the  Jews  underfland  the 
divine  majeflatic  glory.  Secular  rulers  are  doxai,  glories.  I.  Pet. 
i.  1 8.  original.  The  kingdom  eflatfe  is  the  glory  j  reftlefs  ambi- 
tion can  climb  no  higher  than  to  the  kingdom.  The  glory  of 
the  blefied  God  is  unfullied,  and  is  the  peerlefs  fupereminence 
©f  his  unrivalled  dominion  and  power. 

When  Chrift:  came  into  his  kingdom.  He  was  crowned  with 
glory  and  honor ^ 

The  Godhead  as  reigning  is  the  height  of  profperity,  felicity, 
and  beatitude.  He  is  the  happy  God.  I.  Tim.  i.  ii.  original. 
None  can  exaft  upon  him  at  all.  Ifocrates  faith,  "  All  men 
confefs  the  kingdom  to  be  the  moft  refplendent  of  all  goods 
human  and  divine."      This  well  applies  to  God  as  reigning. 

Tiiecflate  of  God,  as  reigning,  is  the  fupremacy  of  rule  and 
government.  The  name  of  King  doth  not  properly  belong 
to  fubjeft,  dependent  princes.  As  a  matter  of  emlnencvj 
the  woman  reignetk  over  the  kings  of  the  earth,  Re^^  xvii.  18. 
Asa  matter  of  office,  by  wifdom  kings  reign.  Prov-  vili.  1  S- 
Plato   calls  the  fcience  of  ruling  well,  the  regal  fcisnce*      U 


AN   IDEA   OF  GOa  t^ 

belongs  to  the  officiary  dignity  of  a  king,  in  foclety  with 
liege  people,  to  adminifter  wife,  good,  happy  government, 
ena6b  good  laws,'execute  judgment,  diftribute  due  rewards  and 
punifhments,  proteft  his  fubje6ls,  fubdue  their  enemies,  eflablifh. 
peace,  promote  piety.  Such  is  the  government  of  Qod.  He 
is  a  father,  friend,  ftate  phyfician,  and  benefaftor  to  his  people. 
.  God's  eminency  of  rule,  muft  be  diftinguifhed  from  his  offi^ 
tiary  dignity  of  King  over  liege  fubjefts.  In  the  former  fenfe. 
He  reigneth  over  devils  and  the  wicked,  but  in  the  latter  over 
faints  only.  "  We  are  thine  :  thou  never  beareft  rule  over 
them  ;  they  were  not  called  by  thy  name."  Ifa,  Ixiii.  19.  But 
God  is  no  tyrant  or  arbitrary  defpot  to  his  enemies  ;  he  pun- 
ilhes  only  to  teftify  his  regard  to  public  juftice,  and  to  benefit 
the  fubjeft,  or  others. 

In  a  word  the  kingdom  and  reigning  eftate  of  God  is  the 
height  of  power,  puiffance,  and  of  all  divine  immunities,  liber- 
ties, franchifes  and  prerogatives.  To  him  belongs  legiilativc 
and  decifive  power  without  appeal,  executive  power,  tho 
power  of  the  fword,  of  life  and  death,  of  pardoning  criminals, 
creating  thrones,  dominions,  principalities,  and  powers,  of 
making  ofHcers,  of  war  and  peace.  All  thefe  branches  of 
power  belong  to  the  divine  King  originally,  and  are  derivatives 
from  him  to  fuch  as  lawfully  exercile  them  in  any  degree,  and 
not  from  «/e(f7ori-,  who  only  defignatc  the  perfons,  as  the  womaa 
choofes  the  man  who  fhall  rule  her  under  God,  according  to 
his  ordinance  and  law. 

The  immunities  of  earthly  kings  are  juftly  great,  and  fome 
have  claimed  what  doth  not  belong  to  them.  To  make  a 
man's  father's  houfe/r^f,  was  a  great  ennoblement.  I.  Sam.- 
xvii.  25.  The  children  of  a  king  are  free.  Mat.  xvii,  26. 
But  God  is  abfolutely  free,  accountable  to  none,  and  independ- 
ent of  all.  He  cannot  err^fin^  do  wrongs  or  be  chargeable  with 
any  imperfeflion,  or  liable  to  any  inconvenicncy. 


a6  AN  IDEA  OF  GOD. 

There  is  one  prerogative  kings  claim,  which  muft  be  inquired 
into,  to  fee  how  far  it  belongs  to  God,  viz.  difobligedne/s  from 
the  laws, 

A  fupreme  legiflator  as  /uch,  is  held  not  to  be  fubjeO;  to  the 
law  of  his  own  making,  becaufe  a  law  is  the  impofition  of  a 
fuperior,  which  he  cannot  have  and  be  fupreme. 

In  human  governments  there  are  conftitutions  which  kings 
confent  to  when  invefted  in  office  ;  thefe  they  muft  obey  fo 
far  as  there  is  the  fame  reafon  for  them  and  others.  The 
leader  in  mufic  mufl  obfcrve  the  fame  rules  that  others  do,  not 
as  a  learner  but  teacher  ;  the  nature  of  things  makes  the  rule 
or  law.  And  thus  God,  though  under  law  to  no  fuperior,  is  a 
law  to  him{elf.  He  can  only  do  what  is  juft,  right,  and  equal, 
and  nothing  elfe  is  agreeable  to  the  counfel  of  his  own  will.  Infi- 
nite underftanding,  perfeft  wifdom,  and  re6litude,  dire6t  the 
divine  fovereignty  in  all  his  operations.  He  confiders  creatures 
as  having  rights,  which  he  doth  not  invade.  Not  being,  if  it 
may  be  fo  expreffed,  hath  a  right  to  continue  in  non-exi(tence, 
if  its  given  being  is  not  beneficial.  God  treats  creatures  ac- 
cording to  what  they  are,  made  none  of  them  to  be  miferable, 
nor  doth  he  necelTitate  the  milery  of  any,  for  his  own,  fuppofed, 
glory.  God's  original  creation  made  not  evil  ;  it  founded  a 
kingdom  of  faints  under  law,  with  liberty  ;  He  lives  the  law 
of  that  city  in  confort  with  his  fu'ojects,  not  as  under  a  fuperior, 
but  as  ever  difpofed  to  do  what  is  right  in  itlelf.  "J aft  and 
true  are  all  the  ways  of. the  king  of  faints." 

Sacrednefs  and  inviolability  belong  to  tlie  divine  majefty  as 
reigning.  Thefe  prerogatives  have  been  claimed  by  kings, 
.When  the  Roman  emperor  was  crowned,  the  patriarch  of 
i  ^Confiantinople,  upon  pouring  the  oil  on  his  head,  cnzd, /acred. 
The  German  empire  is  termed  facred,  and  the  emperor's  title 
is  His  Sacred  Majefty,  The  ambaffadors  of  kings  have  been 
\cid  facred.      God  is  infinitely  facredj  as  facrednefs  is  the  fane-- 


AN  IDEA   OF  GOD.  ^,- 

tity,  or  mviolablenefs  of  things  and  perfons.  He  is  facred 
and  inviolable  in  his  perfon,  life,  and  ftatc.  To  defecrate  or 
alienate  what  is  His.  is facrilege. 

The  Godhead  is  a  monarchy  or  fingularity  of  rule  ia  one 
perfon  as  fupremc. 

The  fuppofition  of  three  fupremes  or  chief  rulers  is  a  contra, 
diaion,  and  a  three-one  Majefty,  or  King,  or  God,  is  nobetter„ 
There  is  but  one  perfonal  God,  of  whom  are  all  things  ;  one 
autotheos,  God  of  himfelf  or  from  none.  The  unity  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghoft,  in  nature  and 
fovereignty,  doth  not  conftitute  them  one  God,  King,  or  Lord, 
for  that  would  be  the  fame  as  three  perfonal  agents  being  on« 
perfonal  agent  ;  nor  doth  their /ame7ie/s  in  nature,  make  them 
e^ual  in  jlate. 

The  Father  alone  is  the  fole  monarch  of  the  univerfe,  who  as 
he  exifts  by  neceffity  of  nature,  fo  he  reigns  as  having  all  power 
in  himfelf,  originally,  underivedly,  fupremely,  abfolutely,  and 
independently. 

Lajily,  The  reigning  eftate  of  God  is  divinity  or  creature- 
tranfcendency  of  condition,  abfolutely  and  originally. 

The  nature  and  date  of  God  are  diflingulfi^iable,  though  both 
are  creature-tranfcendent.  Perfons  who  are  creatures  may 
partake  of  the  divine  nature  in  a  degree,  and  not  be  divine  in 
vtate.  And  even  the  Son  and  Holy  Ghoft,  whom  it  will  be 
proved  are  divine  by  -nature,  were  not  divine  by  ftate  at  all 
times,  and  equal  with  the  one  God  the  Father,  the  alone  felf 
.€xiftent  fountain  of  divine  life  and  power. 

All  creatures  who  partake  of  the  divine  nature,  are  divine 
by  7iature,  in  a  degree  proportioned  to  the  meafures  of  fuch 
participation  ;  but  they  are  not  \n  fiate  d'lv'mc,  unlels  their  con- 
dition is  reipiing  alfo.  When  the  onlv  begotten  Son  lay  in  the 
manger,  he  was  as  truly  and  really  divine  by  nature,  as  he  is 
now  in  heaven  at  his  Father's  right  hand,  but  he  was  i.ot  m 


a^  AK  IDEA   OF  GOB. 

fiate  God  until  his  exaltation  commenced  at  his  refurre&ion, 
nor  was  all  power  given  him  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Some 
creatures  have  a  degree  of  divinity  of  Jlate,  though  not  divine 
by  nature,  as  magiftrates  and  fons  of  the  Moft  High.  Some 
are  divine  by  nature^  but  not  by  ftate,  as  the  regenerate  are.  And 
fome  are  divine  by  nature  and  flate,  as  thrones  and  domin- 
ions among  angels.  But  there  is  no  divinity  of  nature  or  ftate  in 
any  perfon,  only  as  it  is  derived  from  the  divine  Majefty  as  the 
fountain,  or  belongs  to  them  becaufe  of  their  peculiar  relation 
to  hIcQ.  Mere  divinity  of  nature  is  not  a  ground  of  religious 
worfhip  any  more  than  humanity  of  nature  is  a  ground  of  civil 
"Vi'orfhip*  Who  ever  heard  of  worfhipping  the  humin  nature 
W'hen  addrefiing  an  earthly  king  ?  there  muft:  be  divinity  of 
f^ate  founded  on  divinity  of  nature,  and  a  command  from  God 
to  warrant  divine  worfhip.  As  divinity  of  ftate  added  to  hu- 
manity of  nature  is  the  fuper-eminence  of  an  earthly  king,  fo 
divinity  of  ftate  as  added  to  divinity  of  nature  is  the  fuper- 
eminence  of  deity^  the  dignity  of  the  divine  tranfcendency, 
the  (upreme  fupremacy  of  Godhead,  To  this  ftate  the  Son  of 
God  is  now  exalted,  crowned  with  glory  and  honor,  and  is 
God  over  all,  the  Father  alone  excepted,  whofc  divinity  of  ftate 
and   nature,  are  creature-tranfcsndencies,  by  abfolute  neceftity. 

Secondly.  Over  whom,  and  how  the  divine  Majcjly  exercjfeth  his 
creature-tranfcendent  fovereignty,  and  reign,  is   now  to  bejkewn. 

In  point  of  eminency,  and  underived  right,  God  reignetk 
dver  allheiYigs  and  things  ;  his  dofninion  is  coextendedwith  creation 
and  founded  on  it.  He  is  alfo  of  right  God  and  King  of  all 
raticnals,  and  they  ought  all  to  be  his  liege  fiibjeEls  j  but  in  fa6l 
Knd  in  a  way  of  officiary  dignity,  he  is  king  of  faints  only,  and  his 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  but  of  heaven. 

The  above  dlftin61ions  are  important  and   need  illuftratlon, 

1.  In  refpeft  or  eminency,  G«d  is  the  fovereign  potentate 
of  all  potentates,  angelical,  human,  and  diabolical. 


AN   IDEA    OF  GOD.  29 

This  gradual  fupremacy  of  God  is  thus  exprcffed  in  fcrlp- 
ture,  King  of  kings,  Lord  of  lords,  God  of  gods.  All  lavvCul 
authority  is  derivatively  from  him  in  every  mode  of  its  con- 
veyance. He  is  God  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  ;  Gov- 
ernor among  the  nations  ;  the  Moft  High  who  ruleth  in  the 
kingdom  of  men,  and  giveth  it  to  whom  he  pleafeth,  promotes, 
fets  up,  and  pulls  down  whom  he  will.  Natural  government 
of  parents  over  children,  and  of  hufbands  over  wives,  is  his 
ordinance,  and  the  jufl  authority  in  each  is  from  him,  md  not 
from  the  fubje£l  party  by  their  confent  or  elcclion  :  So  alfo  is 
civil  government  God's  ordinance  as  King  of  nations,  and  all 
lawful  civil  authority  and  power  is  derived  from  God. 

Rulers  are  God's  minifters  for  the  public  good,  as  ("ubordinatc 
to,  and  connefted  with,  ihe  honor  of  the  fupreme  King.  Nei- 
ther rulers  have  any  rights,  nor  people  any  privileges,  or  liberty, 
incompatible  with  the  rights,  and  repugnant  to  the  law  o^ 
God. 

Eccleliaftical  authority  refts  upon  the  fame  baHs,  only  the 
Deity,  as  the  fountain  of  it,  is  King  of  faints.  Not  the  kafl: 
degree  of  power  is  derived  from  the  fraternily,  or  members  of 
the  church,  but  all  is  from  Chrifl  the  Head  as  he  received  it 
from  the  Father.  Matth.  xxviii.  j  8,  1  9.  Right  and  authority, 
privilege  and  power,  in  natural,  conjugal,  civil  and  ecclefiaflical 
refpefts,  are  diflinft  and  inconvertible  the  one  into  tha  other, 
and  are  derived  from  God  as  th^\r /ourci. 

AH  angelical  power  is  from  him  as  fapremc,  who  is  exalted 
as  head  above  ail.  And  even  Satan's  dominion  and  godfhip 
over  this  v/orld  is  not  without  his  permifTion,  and  is  fubje^l  to 
his  control,  and  will  at  lafl:  be  put  down.  All  bwful  author- 
ity is  God's  minifterially  ;  and  unlawful  power  is  by  permilTion, 
fubjeft  to  his  control,  and  will  be  deftroyed  from  his  creation, 
and  God  be  all  in  all.  An  ancient  writer  faith,  *'  There  is  one 
Ruler,  Prince,  and  Kinjj,    to  whom   it  brlongs  to  govern  and 


3»  AN   IDEA   OF  GOD. 

adminlfter  all  things."     Another  faith,  "  One  muft  neceffa- 
rily  be  the  maker  and  lord  of  one  creation." 

Again,  "  The  fupremacy  belongs  to  one,  whofe  dominion  is  a 
monarchy."  The  heathen  plead  for  a  kind  of  monarchy,  yet 
La6lantius  juftly  cbferves,  "That  in  a  proper  monarchy  all 
potentacy  muft  neceflarily  refide  in  one  by  whom  all  are  gov- 
erned." True  religion  is  the  dodrine  of  one  God  over  all,  in 
oppofition  to  the  pagan  polyarchy,  and  the  triune  deity  of 
fchola.^ics,  that  is  three  co-ordinate  perfonal  gods  in  one  being. 
The  fcripture  doftrine  of  the  chnftian  trinity  refts  upon,  and 
even  refults  from  the  monatheifra  and  monarchy  of  the  Father, 
as  fliall  be  (hewn  in  its  place. 

2.  God's  dominion  and  reign  is  univerfal. 

As  creator  of  all,  he  is  proprietor  of  all,  and  hath  a  right  t« 
polTefs,  difpofe  of,  command,  ufe,  and  employ  all  creatures  ; 
he  is  therefore  Lord  of  hofts. 

This  great  title,  which  anfwers  to  Pantocrator,  tranflated 
Almighty,  is  fometimes  taken  in  a  military  fenfe  ;  and  the  world 
of  creatures  are  unto  God  as  feveral  hofts  and  armies^  which  at 
his  command  fight  the  battles  of  this  great  militarypotentate  againft 
his  enemies,  and  in  defence  of  his  people.  The  tribes  of  Ifrael 
were  his  hofts,  Exod.  vi.  26.  and  he  was  unto  them  a  militaiy 
King,  the  Lord  general  of  their  armies  who  fought  their  battles, 
and  whom  they  celebrate  as  a  mayi  oj  zvar,  (military  hero)  the 
Lord  of  hofts,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battles,  the  King  of  glory, 
L,Sam.  xvii.  45.  Ff.  xxiv.  7.  8.  But  fometimes  hofts  only 
Cgnify  an  orderly  multitude  of  creatures.  Gen.  xi.  4.  Ifa.  via 
3.  Rev.  iv.  8. 

God's  univerfal  dominion  is  originally  underlved,  independ- 
ent in  its  exercife,  moft  perfeft  in  its  manner,  all-contioling 
and  Irrefiftible  in  its  operation,  and  in  duration  interminable. 

3.  The  reign  of  God  over  all  includes  the  exercife  of  an 
univerfal  governing  providence,  fuperintending  and  difpofing 
©f  all  thincrs  like  a  rightful  King. 


AN   IDEA  OF  GOD.  jt 

Will  and  pleafure,  without  counfel  or  wifdom  to  direft, 
jufticc  and  goodnefs  to  accompany,  are  not  the  rule  of  God's 
dominion  and  fovereignty.  His  government  is  placid,  legal, 
perfeaiy  wife,  juft  and  good,  of  a  parental  nature,  conferving 
what  he  hath  produced,  of  great  manfuetude  and  patience, 
treating  beings  according  to  what  they  are,  and  ufing  them  for 
what  they  are  fitted.  His  adminiftration  is  for  the  moft  part 
an  unwearied  exercife  of  loving  kindnefsy  judgment  and  right- 
eou/ne/s  in  the  earth,  Jerem.  ix.  24.  a  vigilancy  for  his  crea- 
tures* welfare.  As  he  made  none  to  be  miferable,  he  decrees 
the  milery  of  none  without  refpeft  had  to  their  charaders  ; 
none  are  fmners  or  finful  by  his  efficiency,  or  influence,  but 
they  become  finners  by  their  abufe  of  liberty.  He  is  a  Friend 
to  virtue  in  his  reign,  the  Patron  of  oppreffed  innocence,  the 
the  Diftiibutor  of  juftice,  and  the  Exerclfer  of  benevolence. 
It  is  therefore  matter  of  rejoicing  that  the  Lord  reigneth.  Pf. 
xcvii.  1. 

4.  He  reigneth  as  King  over  all,  with  irrefiflible  authorita- 
tive power. 

Thus  he  ruleth  fome  conftantly,  and  all  occafionally.  He 
aven  caufes  the  unruly  wills  and  paffions  of  men,  to  fubfervc 
the  purpofes  of  his  government.  The  fates  of  kingdoms  and 
individuals  depend  upon  him.  By  him  the  devil  and  his 
agents  are  enchained,  the  devices  of  politicians  fruftrated,  and 
the  counfels  of  princes  infatuated,  without  his  being  chargeable 
with  the  faults  of  free  agents,  or  the  dsftrudion  of  their  moral 
agency. 

5.  God  is  in  a  fenfe  a  kingdom  eftate  to  the  divided  univcrfe 
©f  rationals,  by  a  government  proper  to  them. 

As  rationals  are  capable  of  moral  government,  and  account- 
able, neither  the  good  nor  bad  are  their  own  maficrs,  but  arc? 
fiibjed  to  a  Superior,  whofe  right  it  is  to  rule  them,  and  they* 
ought  all  in  facl  to  be  his  liege  fubjc£ls,    and  to  live  his  lift- ^ 


32  AM  IDEA  OF  GOD. 

Of  right  and  in  faft  he  is  the  Law-giver  and  Judge  of  all,  and 
they  all  have  fomc  notices  of  his  univcrfal  law,  fo  that  their 
condudt  is  inexcufable  if  they  do  not  glorify  him  as  God  ;  and 
he  will  bring  them  into  judgment. 

This  univerfal  moral  government  over  men  is  adapted  to  their 
individual  and  focial  capacity.      Being  the  Author   of  man's 
focial  principles,   he  is  the   Founder  of  human  focieties,    the' 
greater  and  lelTer,   which  only  exift  here  in  this  world,   and  fo 
as  to  be  rewarded  or  punifhed  in  their  focial  connexions.      His 
religion  as  to  thca  is  of  this  world.     They  exift  by  his   ordi- 
nance, and  the  government  of  them  is  of  a  mixed  kind,    civil 
religious,  and  the  law  of  God   by  which   they  are  governed   is 
of  civil  religious  interpretation.     Right  behavior  in  thefe  rela- 
tions  will  be  produdive  of  happinefs  here   where  they   only 
exift  in  them.      The  jurifdi6lion  of  fuperiors  over  inferiors  is 
under  Godj  and  extends  only  to  overt  afts  of  well  or  ill  doing. 
The  civil  religious  rule  of  fathers,  hufbands  and  magi ftrates,  in 
moral  refpefts,  is  the  fame  in  all  nations,  where  the  gofpel  hatk 
eome,  and  where  it  hath  not  come,  and  would  be  the  fame  if 
there    was   no   future   life.      The   natural  and  civil  fuperiors 
Hiould  imitate  God  and  Chrift   in  the  exercife  of  their  fuperi- 
•rity,  fcrving  God  in  fuch  relations  from  the  principles  which 
they  are  poffefled  of. 

It  is  fhameful  to  fee  a  ruler  who  is  in  ftate  a  god,  or  a 
hufband,  and  father,  who  are  in  ftate  lords,  like  to  the  evil 
on«  in  their  morals  and  adminiftraiion,  and  efpecially  if  they  are 
by  profcffion  chriftians. 

Bui  here  the  forem^.ntioned  dif^iv^lion  muji  he  particularly 
dluftriltd,  viz.  That  God  is  not  King  of  all  as  he  is  of  fome, 
»j  men  and  nations  as  hi  is  oj faints. 

The  obligation  oJ  men,  families,  nations,  and  even  devils,  to  ol/ey 
.God  is  indifputable  ;  yet  faints  only  are  his  liege  fubjccis,  the  reft 
cnfacl  arc  aliens,  not  of  his  kingdom,  but  in  the  world  as  a  polity 
of  which  (he  devil  is  the  ^od. 


AN   IDEA   OF  GOD.  33  j 

In  every  regular  polity  there  is  a  mutual  obligation  between 
the  ruler  and  fubjefts,  even  though  no  formal  contraft  is  mac^<, 
and  they  are  alfo  of  the  fame  kind,  like  head  and  members  of  ona 
body.  A  human  political  head  hath  a  human  political  body, 
and  a  divine  political  head  muft  have  a  body  politic  of  th« 
fame  kind  with  himfelf.  God  is  no  intrinfic  head  in  the  ufual 
fenfe  of  politics  to  all  rationals,  nor  are  they  hisdomeftics,  citizens 
and  fubjefls.  There  is  no  worldly  kingdom  of  God,  of  Vv'hich 
he  is  the  divine  head  :  God's  kingdom  is  of  heaven,  and  the 
devil  is  prince  and  god  of  this  world.  The  church,  ecclefia, 
hath  its  name  from  kalo,  to  call  forth  out  of  the  world,  and  it« 
members  are  citizens  of  heaven. 

When  the  kingdom  eftate  of  human  polities  is  confidered,  it 
is  found  the  rulers  are  in  and  of  them  as  the  governing 
head.  The  father  of  a  family  is  the  intrinfic  head  of  that  only, 
let  his  extra-domeftic  power  be  what  it  will.  A  king  is  of  the 
fame  fpecies  with  his  liege  fubjefts.  In  likemanner  the  godhead 
is  the  reigning  eftate  of  faints  only,  and  they  form  one  politic 
fyftem,  the  houfehold  of  God,  of  him  the  family  in  heaven  and 
•arth  is  named  ;  Eph.  ii.  19.  and  iii.  5.  Heb.  xii.  22.  Eph. 
ii.  1,  2.  Rev.  XV.  3.  1.  Cor.  xi.  3.  One  city  of  the  living 
God  :  one  holy  popular  commonwealth  of  New  Ifrael,  of 
which  the  old  was  a  type  :  a  community  of  faints,  of  which 
God  is  the  chief  faint,  the  holy  One.  If  God  was  the  reigning 
eflate  of  all,  they  muft  be  of  his  kind^  or  he  of  theirs  j  but  this 
is  noiJaEi  at  preient,  however  it  was  originally,  or  will  be 
finally. 

.The  kingdom  eftate  of  Old  Ifrael  will  illufhrate  and  confirm 
the  above  idea,  God  was  King  only  of  native  or  faclive  Jews, 
Amos  iii.  2.  and  yet  he  was  then  monarch  cf  the  univcrfe,  an 
extra-focietive  head  of  other  nations.  *•  There  is  no  God  ia 
all  the  earth  but  in  Ifrael,"  I.  Chron.  xix.  it.  as  there  is  no 
Chrifl  but  in  his  church, 
F, 


^4  AN    IDEA   OF  GOD. 

And  the  contrary  hypothefis  is  full  of  atheifm  and  abfurdityo 
For  if  God  is  now  the  reigning  eftate,  as  King  and  God,  of  all 
rationals,  then  devils  are  of  the  fame  polity  or  city  he  is,  and  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  includes  hell :  God  is  the  Deity  of  this 
world  which  doth  not  own  or  know  him,  or  is  acknowledged 
by  him.  It  makes  God  to  be  unholy,  or  all  to  be  holy,  for  all 
muft  be  alike-i  to  be  oj  onc^  and  have  any  concord.  It  would  be 
equally  proper  to  place  the  devil  at  the  head  of  a  holy  empire, 
to  confider  Chrift  as  King  of  an  antichriflian  kingdom,  and  the 
pope  3  religious  head  of  proteflants.  To  fuppofe  Jehovah, 
Jove,  and  Lord,  (Baal)  faint  and  favage,  the  fame,  confounds 
every  thing  ;  light  and  darknefs,  heaven  and  hell,  good  and 
bad  beings.  '•  Heathen  gods  fhould  not  be  named  where  pur 
Jehovah's  known. '^  The  contrary  hereunto  is  the  religious 
theory  of  pagans,  and  of  fome  chriftians.  But  if  pag^n  gods 
and  heathen  men  form  one  whole,  in  conjunction  wi^y  the  true 
God  and  faints  ;  if  the  heathen  Jove  is  Jehovah,  and  Baal  the 
fame  ;  To  is  Bel  and  the  dragon,  Beelzebub  and  Dagon,  and 
many  more  for  rhyme's  fake  might  come  into  the  groupe.  This 
excludes  Cod's  church,  or  the  world  is  his  church,  wicked 
men  and  devils  the  members  of  it  :  heathen  need  not  change 
their  quarters,  falvation  may  be  obtained  in  hell  as  well  as  in 
heaven,  or  more  properly  nhere  is  no  fuch  place  as  the  former, 
nor  even  the  latter  as  didinguiflied  from  it. 

The  prefent  flate  of  the  natural  and  m.oral  univerfe,  and 
efpcciaHy  of  the  nov/  natural  fhate  of  man  as  an  alien  from  the 
life  and  kingdom  of  God,  confirm  the  above  diPiinflion.  The 
whole  conflitution  of  "both  natural  and  moral  things  in  this 
tvorld,  and  the  ordir  in  which  they  exiRed  at,  and  from  the 
beginning  of  it,  fiicw  that  God's  creation  is  in  a  divided  and 
deranged  poriiire.  D.ukncfs  and  light  are  contending  v/ith 
each  other,  and  darkness  was  firfl,  for  the  light  fiione  out  of  it 
in  our  fyftcm*     One  being  is  oppofed  lo  another,  and  even  one 


AN  IDEA    OF  GOD.  c^ 

pirt  of  the  fame  being  to  another  part.  This  cannot  be  tliC  fii  fi: 
ilate  of  things  as  originating  from  the  fountain  of  light,  and  the 
God  of  order,  God  did  not  by  phyfical  efficiency  create  devils^ 
Cr  men  aliens  and  rebels.  Man's  firil  cflate  did  not  need  a  new 
CjTCation,  or  new  birth.  And  though  all-*iiip«  natively  aliens, 
we  now  fee  fome  faflively  made  nigh,  fome  vihbly  and  others 
typically,  and  fome  really.  The  flate  of  the  prelent  Jews  is 
mixed,  nagan-judaical  ;  fome  arc  pagan-mahometan;  and  that  of 
papifts  pagan-chriftian.  But  fome  dwell  in  God,  and  do  their 
works  in  him.  Since  this  latter  ftate  is  not  native,  but  ladive, 
Gad  is  not  the  Head  of  all  as  he  is  of  fome. 

But  what  puts  this  matter  beyond  all  reafonable  doubt,  is  the 
fcripture  account  of  the  polity  ol  evil  angels.  Their  being 
snd  polity  is  no  fi6lionj  though  heathen  denied  it  in  the  fcripture 
notion,  and  fome  pretended  believers  la  revelation  difpute  it. 
Celfus  charges  chriftians  vv'ith  an  impious  error,  in  making  a 
certain  adverfary  to  God  whom  they  call  the  devil.  And 
Arnobius  faith,  "  The  devils  were  to  a  great  degree  unknown 
before  Chrift  who  detefled  them."  The  knowledge  of  Satan 
and  his  kingdom  is  nigh  half  of  chriftianity,  and  )'et  what 
fyftems  of  divinity  teach  it  ?-  The  philofophic  pagans  held  ilie 
univerfe  to  be  one  kingdom  in  the  fenfe  of  a  polity,  united  by 
a  kind  of  univerfal  benevolence.  But  fuch  benci^olence  cannot 
be  koly^  becaufe  it  includes  love  to  them,  with  whom  the  iruly 
holy  are  obliged  to  be  at  virtuous  enviiiy  at  prefent.  The  ancici)t 
religions  of  Pcrfians,  Egyptians,  Brarains,  Chineio,  Tyrians,  &c. 
all  held  to  the  exidcnce  of  an  evil  being,  the  auihor  of  evil, 
and  that  he  had  many  adherents.  The  manichean  hercfy  of  two 
fupreme  principles,  the  one  of  good,  the  other  of  evil,  is  only 
a  corruption  of  the  fcripture  account  of  this  matter.  The  very 
exiflence  of  moral  evil  fuppofes  an  evil  one,  for  the  iuprcme 
Author  of  good  cannot  be  the  efficient  caufe  of  thai  evil.  A 
finner  or  tranfgrefifor  is  fo  made  by  himfCiF,  through  an  abufe  of 
liberty,  and  his  voluntary  conlcnt. 


§6  AN  IDEA    OF  GOD. 

Another  illuflration  of  the  above  important  truth  may  be 
taken  from  the  fpecific  nature  and  comprehenfion  of  that  reli- 
gion and  condition  God  il  of.  His  religion  is  fanftity,  and 
his  teligionifls  are  true  theiils,  and  the  comprehenfion  of  the 
peculiarities  thereof  is  theifm  of  religion  and  condition.  God's 
Tcligioniils  are  of  his  life  and  mind,  they  confort  and  fymbolize 
with  him  in  fcntiraent  and  prafticc.  The  primitive  chriftians 
called  themfelves  the  difcipks  and  fed  of  God.  All  of  this 
religion  are  in  fociety,  and  alliance  with  God  ;  others  are 
atheoi:  atheijls,  without  God,  And  certainly  he  is  not  the  King 
and  God  of  fuch. 

To  ccn  cl  ude  the  idea  of  G  od,  as  he  is  to  be  confidered  both  as  to 
his  flate  and  as  to  his  nature  :  fome  of  his  perfeftions  are  vital 
and  perfonal,  others  arc  imperial.  Kis  life  is  eternal  in  holinefs 
and  lov-e  ;  "His  underfianding  is  infinite,"  He  is  a  God  of 
/tnowledge,  I.  Sam.  ii.  3.  origmal,  expreffing  the  extent,  variety 
snd  perfeftion  of  the  divine  knowledge.  He  is  perJeB  in  every 
vital,  perfonal,  and  imperial  excellency.  Exifting  as  God  before 
any  creature  Vv'as  made,  he  was  as  happy  then  as  he  is  fince  : 
His  vital  and  perfonal  perfeftion  was  the  fame  it  is  fince  crea- 
tion. Juflice,  goodnefs,  holinefs,  wifdcm,  power,  and  grace, 
ronftituted  his  characler  before  they  were  excrcii'ed  in  his 
works,  and  therefore  the  cxercife  of  them  added  nothing  to 
the  all-fufEcient,  and  felf-fufficicnt  God,  Lord  and  King. 

From  the  above  idea  of  God,  his  rights  and  dues  are  inferred. 
All  piety  and  godlinefs  is  comprifed  in  rendering  to  God  the  things 
that  are  God's.  Matt.  xxii.  21.  True  godiwefs  as  a  correfpond- 
ence  to  this  idea,  includes  fuch  honor  andfervice,  as  is  proper  to 
his  degree,  rank,  fiate,  dignity  and  condition — and  to  his  nature 
end  perfonal  charaEler. 

The  full  declaration  of  the  rights  of  God  belongs  to  the 
praftical  part  of  the  fcience  of  fanftity  ;  and  therefore  they  will 
be  but  briefly  mentioned  in  this  theory. 


AN  IDEA    OF  GOD.  37 

Firjiy  of  the  honor  and  fervice  fulted  to  the  degree,  rank, 
ftate,  dignity  and  condition  of  the  divine  Mnjefty. 

That  this  glorious  Perfonage  hath  riiJits,  and  ought  to  be 
treated  by  other  beings  according  to  what  he  is  in  himlelf,  and 
to  them,  all  muft  allow,  and  that  every  being,  according  to  his 
ability,  ought  to  glorify  him  as  God.  As  to  moral  agents  they 
are  his  creatures,  and  therefore  of  right  and  by  obligation,  his 
fubjeas  and  fervants.  An  atheid  fpeculative,  if  fuch  there  be, 
and  piaaical,  is  a  moft  odious  being,  as  an  inverter  of  the  order 
of  things,  and  can  nev^.  be  a  good  man  or  citizen.  If  God 
hath  no  rights,  man  can  claim  none  as  his  own.  Nations  have 
been  fenfible  of  this,  and  have  had  their  god,  or  gods,  and 
religion,  and  owned  that  fome  allegiance,  homage,  revenue, 
and  tribute,  was  the  unalienable  due  of  him  whom  they  called 

god. 

The  honor  due  to  God  muft  be  proper  to  his  rank  and  dig- 
nity, for  any  other  is  unworthy  of  him,  and  a  treating  him 
with  manifeft  injuftice.  His  degree  being  tranfcendcnt  to 
creatures,  his  rights  and  dues  muft  be  divine  or  crer.turc- 
tranfcendent.  And  as  he  alone  is  God,  he  alone  merits  that 
honor  which  is  the  magnificent,  creature-tranfcendcnt  honor, 
worfhip  and  fervice  of  the  Mod  High. 

1.  Which  comprifeth  in  it  whatever  is  doing  him  real  honor 
and  fervice,  to  the  exclufion  of  whatfccver  is  otherv^'ife. 

The  fcripture  expreffeth  all  duty  to  fuperiers  by  the  word 
honor.  Nothing  muR  be  neglefted  that  is  really  honoring  him, 
whether  internal  or  external,  by  doing  or  fullering,  abftinence 
or  performance.  This  therefore  includes  a  knowledge  of  him, 
belief  in  him,  acknowledging  him  as  God,  and  our  God,  ccn- 
feffing  his  name,  profcirmg  his  religion,  obferving  his  inRitates, 
obeying  his  laws,  keeping  his  day,  reverencing  his  fanduary, 
offering  him  the  facrifices  of  prayer  and  praiie  in  private,  in  the 
family   and  In  public,    and  performing    the  duties  we  owe  to 


SS  AN  IDEA  OF  GOD. 

©urfelves  or  others    from  a  regard  to  him,  and  alfo  treating 
things  and  perfons  according  to  their  relation  to  him.   , 

2.  His  ftate  and  rank  demands  the  utmojl  and  total  of  our 
honor  and  fervice. 

The  whole  fpirit,  foul  and  body,  all  that  men  have,  or  arc, 
is  of  right  his  :  the  whole  of  their  ejlimation,  the  total  of  their 
affe6lion  and  intenfe  love,  erchomcha  from  the  bowels,  «&c.  Pf. 
xviii.  1.  original, 

3.  His  dignity  demands  the  fopreme  znAfovercign  honor  and 
fervice  of  the  foul.  Our  prime,  chief,  predominant,  peerlefs, 
incomparable  and  only  great  love  is  his  due,  let  it  coft  what  it 
will,  &c. 

4.  Such  honor  as  is  incommunicable  to  another  without  the 
crime  of  idolatry. 

Idolatry  is  either  devotional  or  fpirituaL  The  former  hath 
three  branches,  idolatry  in  opinion^  in  affeSiion,  and  honorary 
pra&ice.  Spiritual  idolatry  conftitutes  an  evil  life,  as  the  ether 
doth  an  evil  religion,  Covetoufncfs  is  idolatry  5  fome  make  a 
god  of  their  belly. 

Secondly,  Godlinefs,  as  fuited  to  the  nature  and  perfonal 
chara6ler  of  God,  mufl  be  divinely  holy,  as  his  life  is.  Sanc- 
tity is  his  life. 

1.  The  piety  muft  be  true  in  the  real  and  perfonal  accepta- 
tion to  anfwer  t®  the  nature  of  God. 

Truth  of  piety  in  the  real  acceptation  is  according  to  the 
inflitution  of  the  true  religion,  of  which  the  true  God  is  the 
Deity  ;  for  there  can  be  but  one  true  religion,  as  there  is  but 
one  God  ;  the  life  it  requires  is  after  God  and  according  to 
him.  Some  pagans  were  true  worfhippers  of  falfe  gods,  tlieir 
religion  itfelf  was  ungodlinefs. 

Truth  of  piety  j6^r/bwa4  is  ^vhen  the  religionift  of  the  true 
God,  is  fniccre  and  faithful.  This  is  oppofed  to  hypocrify,  as 
the  other  was  to  fupcrfliiioH. 


AN   IDEA  OF  GOD.  39 

2.  Piety,  as  fuited  to  the  nature  of  God,  mufb  be  according 
to  the  religion  of/i^w/  intereftsj  as  diftinguifhed  from  bodily. 

The  kind  of  religion  God  is  the  inftitutor  of  as  King  ef 
nations,  concerns  the  bodily,  and  this  world's  intzrejl  of  men. 
But  the  religion  of  God  as  King  oj  faints,  relates  to  the  foul, 
and  the  next  world's  interefts  of  men.  This  important  diftinc- 
tion  appears  from  a  furvey  of  the  law  of  Mofes,  and  the  fame 
will  apply  to  the  law  of  nature  and  nations.  The  Jews  were 
men  having  the  law  written  in  their  hearts  like  others  ;  they 
had  alfo  many  revealed  notices  of  the  divine  will  in  pofitivs 
inftitutions,  prophecies  and  promifes  of  Chriftto  come,  which 
vere  peculiar  to  themfelves.  To  thefs  the  latv  was  added. 
Gal.  iii.  19.  I.  Tim,  i.  9.  Heb.  ix.  1,  to  anfwer  bodily,  worldly^ 
and  national  T^xxx'^o^ts,  as  a|)pears  from  its  worldly  fanUuary  and 
temporal  rewards  and  punijkments.  It  confidered  them  ss  citi- 
zens o^  this  zdvrld   in   the   relations   of  oarents  and    children. 

i. 

hufbands  and  wives,  rulers  and  fubjefls,  where  only  they  exifl 
in  thefe  connexions,  and  can  be  rewarded  or  puniQied  for  their 
well  or  ill  doing  in  them*  The  Mofaic  law  in  the  letter  of  it 
was  civil  religious,  and  of  like  interpretation,  and  required  fuch 
obedience  as  originates  from  a  birth  of  the  will  of  man,**  John 
i.  13.  In  this  lenfe  tl.e  young  man  kept  it,  and  St.  Paul 
lived  in  all  good  confcience  before  God,  and  Am^ziah  did  what  wa< 
right  even  in  the  fight  of  the  Lord.:  but  not  wiih  a  perfeEl,  that 
is,  a  renewed  heart.  This  is  our  own  righteoifnefs  which  is  »f  thi 
law  J  the  righteoufnefs  which  exalteth  a  nation  when  rulers  and 
fubje6ls  pradife  it.  This  is  what  the  civil  miniders  of  God  ough-; 
to  enjoin,  their  authority  is  the  fame  fince  Chrifl's  coming  as  be* 
fore  and  is  the  fame  in  all  nations.  The  four  frf  commands  de- 
clare God's  rights,  the  fifth  the  rights  of  fapcriors  and  infcriL  rs, 
and  the  equal  rights  of  all  men  arc  flated  in  the  o!!;cr  1^.  c. 
They  were  a  civil  religious  co;nmonweaith  under  the  l>.'a^ 
f'f  nations,  r.s    «very  fla'e    ou2;hi  to    Ve,      A  ftate    wid'cwt    ??l 


40  AN    IDEA   OF  GOD. 

eftabliHicd  religion,  and  none  ought  to  be  eflablirhed  by  hw, 
but  what  is  of  this  world,  is  a  headlejs  monjicr.  This  is  a  piety 
ccrierpondent  to  the  flate  of  God  as  King  of  nations ;  but  that 
piety  which  is  fuited  to  his  nature  mufi:  be  fpirltual  and  holy,  by 
zcalking  not  after  the  JleJJi  but  after  thcfpirit,  whereby  the  right*- 
eoufnefs  that  is  in  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  them  in  the  true  inten- 
tion of  it,  as  of  fpiritual  religious  interpretation.  Rom.  viii.  40 

3.  The  piety   fuited  to  the  divine  nature  mufl  be  vital  as 
well  as  holy. 

The  living  God  muft  have  living  facrifices,  &c, 

4.  And  fuch  honor  as  the  unrenewed  are  not  capable  of,  &c. 

5.  The  piety   correfpondent  to    the  divine  nature,  includes 
fpiritual  religious  zuorjhip,   I,  John  iv.  24. 

Godisfpirit,  not  a  fpirit,  anlwering  to  fpirit  born  of  fpirit. 
A  fpirit  tnay  exift  without  fanftity.  Neither  immateriality  nor 
incorporiety  belong  to  the  fpecific  chara£ler  of  God.  or  diftin- 
«uifh  him  from  other  fpirits  only  in  degree.  God  is  fpirit  denotes 
his  vital /an6lity,  ox  fpirit  ality  ^  if  the  word  may  be  ufed  ;  and 
the  worfliip  muft  be  like  i:s  objeft  in  fpirit  as  oppofed  to  car- 
nality, though  the  body  be  joined,  and  in  truth  that  is  truly, 
fincerely,  and  unfeignedly.  As  chriftians  we  are  to  toorjliip 
God  in  fpirit.  and  rejoice  in  Chrift  Jfus, 


OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION  &«.         41: 


CHAP.  II. 

OF   THE   ORIGINAL   CREATION  AND   KINGDOM  GF   CO»» 

'An  idea  of  the  original  creation  and  kingdom  of  God,  confidered 
materially,  locally,  and  politically.  The  conjlitution,  law  and 
fubjedr  oj  that  polity  :  conje&ures  zohen  it  was  created  :  tlic 
Mqfaic  creation  not  the  firft,  nor  out  of  nothing  ;  neither  was  it 
fpiritual  nor  heavenly,  but  natural,  terrefirial  and  animal  only  i 
the  original  and  prefent^  natural  and  legaljlate  ojthc  whole  ofman^ 

The  Divine  Majefty  is  a  creator,  and  hath  a  kingdom  founded 

by  creation.      No  thing  or  being  but  he  is  neceftarily  exiftent 

and  uncreated,  and   none  could    create   itfelf.      Creation  hath 

been  ufu^lly  confidered  as  the  produftion  of  the  total  being  of 

fomething  out  of  nothing  by  an  almighty  exterior  efficiency* 

This  may   agree    to    the  firft  matter  or  fubftance  oJF  all  beings 

and  things.      Eternal  matter  or  eternal  creation  are  incoaceiva- 

ble  by  us,  and  fo  alfo  is  the  way  and  manner  of  the  origination 

of  the  firft  matter  of  all  things  by  the  almighty  agency  of  God, 

Neither  in  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin,  nor  any  other  tongue  that 

we  know  of,  hath  the  word  create  any  fuch  appropriate  fenfe, 

as  to  exprefs  by  its  notation,   or  ufe,  the  produftion  of  forae- 

ihing  out  of   nothing,  but   is  ufed   fynonimouilv   with  othet* 

words  which  fignify  only  a  change  of  the  nature,  form,  ox  Jlatc 

of  a  thing  or  being,  in  which  cafs  fomething  is  made,  formed,  or 

huilded,  that  did  not  before  exift  only  in  its  pre-exiftent  fubftance. 

thus  euery  houfe  is  huilded  by  Jome  man  :  hut  he  that  built  all 

things  is  God  :   Heb.  iii.  4.     And  the  worlds  were  framed  by  the 

word  of  God,/o  that  things   which  are  fccn  were  not  made  out  of 

ifhings  which  do  appear  :  Ikb.  xi,  3.  but  out  of    pre-exift«nt 


43  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

materials  in  another  form.  The  produft  in  creation  is  a  toiat 
new  things  as  a  houfe  for  inftancej-  though  the  builder  did  not 
create  the  fubftance  of  it  out  of  nothing. 

All  things  and  beings  were  not  created  at  once,  but  in  a  cer- 
tain order  and  fucceflion,  things  material  firft,  then  rational 
and  politicaL  But  what  is  of  particular  note  is  that  all  things 
of  the  fame  kindj  and  all  fpecies  of  beings  that  do  not  propa- 
gate their  kind  were  made  at  the  fame  time,  for  it  is  irrational 
to  fuppofe  a  fuccefive  creation  of  the  fame  kind  of  things  and 
beings,  for  then  creation  might  be  cndlefs,  and  never  finifhed, 
and  by  fome   be  thought  never  to  have  began. 

The  created  univerfc  confifls  of  the  following  parts  :  thcjiarry 
and  planetary  corporeal  univnfe  :  the  heaven  of  beatitude  locally 
confidered  :  a  tmiverfe  of  rational  beings  to  inhabit  the  fame  i 
the  kingdom  ef  God  politically  :  our  terreflrial  fyfiem  and  inhab^ 
itants  :  and  the  new  creation  of  God  :  the  laft  will  be  treated 
of  in  another  place^  but  the  reji  now  in  their  order, 

1.   Of  the  fiarry  and  planetary  corporearuniverfe. 

As  a  fa£t  it  is  admitted  that  thz  fubfiaricc  of  all  things  was 
produced  out  of  nothing  in  a  way  and  manner  to  us  unknown, 
and  inconceivable  ;  and  then  the  ftarry  and  planetary  corporeal 
iiniverfe  was  commanded  into  exiftence  in  its  prefent  order. 
How  vafb  thefe  regions  are,  and  with  what  beings  inhabited,  all 
are  left  to  their  own  conjectures.  It  is  fuppofable  they  are  all 
inhabited  by  creatures  with  conftitutions  adapted  to  their 
climates,  or  are  made  to  benefit  the  inhabited  parts  ;  for  the 
Almighty  made  nothing  in  vain.  The  Hebrews  having  no  one 
word  to  exprefs  t]ie  univerfe  by,  do  it  by  mentioning  the  ex- 
tremities, heaven  and  earth,  which  the  Greeks  call  Kofmos, 
A£ls  xvli.  24,  the  world,  from  the  beauty  and  order  of  its 
parts.  The  upper  extremity  of  the  univerfc  hath  three  degrees, 
firft,  fecond,  and  third  heavens.  All  material  and  immaterial 
things  and  beings,  whether  vifible  or  invifible,   belong  to  the 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  43 

ISrft  or  original  creation,  excepting  our  terreftrial  fyftem  v;ith 
its  aerial  heaven-— And  the  new  creation  of  God.  The  parts 
of  this  creation  iflfued  from  God  under  different  chara£lers— 
The  firft  fubftance  and  phylical  being  of  things  iffued  from  God 
as  the  firft  caujc  and  Jountain  of  exifttnce — Spirits  proceeded 
from  the  Father  of  fpirits— The  holy  being  of  rationals  from 
Paternal f an Eiity-'^hndi  their  politic  focietive  ftate  from  the 
King  of  faints. 

Creation  effe6led  the  phyfical  being  of  all  things,  and  added 
fanftity  to  fuch  parts  as  are  capable  of  this  divine  imprefc. 
The  firft  aerial  heaven  belongs  to  our  fyftera.  The  fecond 
heaven,  which  is  the  feat  of  the  fixed  ftars,  may  be  thought 
inferior  to  the  third,  where  is  the  throne  of  God*  In  creating 
the  planetary  and  ftarry  corporeal  univerfe,  the  laws  of  their  mo- 
tions were  fixed,  and  their  powers  eftabliflied.  Here  a  vaO:  field 
is  opened  to"  pious,  truly  philofophic  minds,  ferving  greatly  to 
enlarge  our  ideas  of  the  gwsatnefs,  and  manifold  works  of  God, 
and  of  the  infinite  majsfty  of  their  Almighty  Creator. 

2.  Of  the  heaven  of  beatitudCy  locally  underfiood^  we  are  hnozo'' 
ing  hut  in  part. 

Its  fite  is  in  the  etherial  regions,  and  fome  chriftian  philofo- 
phers  of  no  mean  fame,  have  thought  it  to  be  right  over  th^ 
milky  way,  which  caufes  that  bright  vifible  effulgence, 
not  otherwife  fatisfa^lorily  to  be  accounted  for.  Of  what 
materials  this  was  built,  and  in  what  form,  may  be  learned  from 
St.  John's  defciiption  of  the  new  heaven.  It  may  be  well 
thought  to  be  moft  pure  and  glorious,  as  dcfigned  for  the 
refidence  of  the  divine  King  and  his  holy  fubjefls  ;  in  which 
was  every  thing  delightful,  and  happifying  to  them,  confidered 
as  their  ozon  habitation, 

3.  When  God  had  built  his  material  hoifc  and  furni fixed  it^ 
he  produced  rationals  to  inhabit  it. 

Of  rationals    we    linow  but  two  orders^   vis,   angels^    qv 


44  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

cherubims,  as  the  Hebrews  call  them,  and  what  we  call  humaa 
fouls,  or  fpirits,  which  they  call  ilbhira. 

All  fpirits  asc  alike,  phyfically  confidered,  with  only  a  gradual 
difference  between  them.  But  each  fpecies  is  diftinguiftied  by 
their  vital  nature  in  which  thefe  intelleftuals  exift.  God  as  t 
fpirit  exifts  in  the  divine  nature,  which  is  vital  fan6lity,  the  life 
and  vital  fubftance  of  his  infinite  intelleft,  and  is  itfelf  infinite. 
Angels  exift  in  the  angelical,  fouls  or  human  fpirits  exift  in 
the  human  nature,  which  is  a  vital  fubftance  and  vehicle  to  each, 
or  a  fpiritual  body  incorruptible  and  immortal,  and  at  pleafure 
invifible  to  mortals.  Since  the  fpirits  of  men  equally  ifl"ued  with 
angels  from  the  Father  of  fpirits,  and  are  the  offspring  and 
children  of  God,  and  fince  they  do  not  propagate  their  Ipecies 
by  a  fexual  difference,  or  intercourfe,  and  we  fhall  be  like  or 
equal  to  angels  in  the  refurreftion,  it  is  moft  rational  to  fuppofc 
that  this  was  our  original  condition,  and  that  all  fpirits  were 
produced  at  once,  had  the  fame  habitation,  and  were  equally  en- 
dowed with  rationality,  freedom,  and  immortality,  with  fanftity, 
and  a  fitncfs  for  fociety  with  God,  and  with  one  another.  It  is 
allowed  that  fanflity  or  holinefs  belongs  not  to  a  creature  as 
fuch,  yet  without  it  no  rational  is  fii  for  fociety  with  God. 
And  as  Chrift  creates  none  without  renewing  them  in  knozuledgf, 
righteoufnefs  and  true  holinefs  after  the  image  of  him  that  created 
them  ;  and  to  renezv  is'  to  reftore  what  was  :  fo  God  created 
none  at  firft  without  original  righteoufnefs,  or  as  aliens  from  his 
life,  unfit  for  communion  with  him,  or  as  rebellious  to  his 
government.  The  above  reafons  will  not  be  invalidated  by 
fuppcfing  the  reftoratlon  to  be  with  fome  advantage,  hec&\i(e 
what  never  was  cannot  be  renezocd,  or  rejlored,  and  after  the 
image  of  him  that  created  him,  if  he  had  not  been  originally  cre- 
ated in  that  image.  That  the  own  habitation  and  frfi  efiate  of 
the  angels  who  finned  were  heavenly,  cannot  be  doubted,  Comp, 
Job  iv,  18,  with  XV.  15,  if  we  confider  what   the  fcripture 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.      .  4^ 

faith,  and  that  heaven  and  hell  divide  the  univerfe,  and  that 
there  was  no  hell  in  the  original  creation  of  God,  there  being 
then  no  finners,  and  confequently  no  prifon  needed  for  their 
confinement  and  punifhment.  Certainly  fouls  are  of  heavenly 
cognation  and  alliance,  of  heavenly  origin  and  defcent  ;  heaven 
is  their  home,  their  father's  houfe  from  whence  they  have  gone 
out,  and  their  renovation  and  reftoration  is  their  return.  By 
that  original  righteoufnefs  or  fanftity  with  which  all  rotionals 
were  endued  in  their  firft  creation,  is  intended  the  principle  and 
root  of  holy  txercijts,  agreeably  to  the  maxim  of  our  Savior, 
*^Makethe  tree  good  and  the  fruit  zoill  be  good:*  Without  the 
divine  nature,  there  can  be  no  holy  ads,  any  more  than  there 
can  be  human  afts  without  the  human  nature.  Humanity  doth 
not  confifl  in  human  a£ls,  nor  hoUnefs  in  holy  exercifes,  any  more 
than  the  goodnefs  of  the  tree  confifts  in  the  gooduels  of  its 
fruit. 

4.  The  original  creation  founded  the  original  kingdom  of  God, 
As  God  formed  holy  rationals,  for  fociety  with  himfelf,  there 
muft  have  been  fuch  a  polity  conftitufed  as  we  call  a  kingdom, 
and  the  relation  of  King  and  fubjefts,  v/ith  a  declaration  of 
rights  and  dues,  determining  who  fhall  be  fovereign,  and  who 
fhall  be  fubjeft,  and  enacting  the  law  of  adminiftration,  the 
meafures  of  obedience,  and  the  reward  of  the  fame,  and  the 
punifliment  in  cale  of  failure. 

The  creation  of  a  kingdom  is  political  as  well  as  real,  and 
without  fuch  a  ccnftitution,  fettlement,  eftablifiiment,  or  cove- 
nant, there  could  be  no  King,  nor  fubje6is,  government,  law  nor 
juftice,  no  kingdom  nor  city.  The  original  kingdom  of  heaven 
was  thus  founded  by  God  as  mere  creator,  the  fole  fuprcme 
King,  without  any  triune  adminiftration  or  fubordinate  rule. 
All  rationals  were  the  fubjefts,  all  were  holy,  and  all  happy. 
TKis  kingdom  of  God  is  termed  original,  to  dillinguifh  it  from. 
ibc  new  mediqiorial  kingdom  ©f  God,  Chrifl.  and  liea ven,  which 


46  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

now  is,  which  is  founded  by  God  as  Redeemer  or  New  Creator, 
'In  that  God  was  all  in  all  in  the  government ;  all  were  na- 
tive faints,  citizens  who  had  domicilium  in  urbe,  manfions  in  the 
heavenly  city,  and  were  domeftics  of  God's  houfe.  Then 
there  was  no  fm  nor  fninei,  no  devil  nor  apoftate,  no  rebels, 
no  mediator  nor  redeemer.  But  the  prefent  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  made  by  a  reconciliation  of  things  in  earth  and  heaven,  and 
recapitulation  of  them  in  Chrift.  Eph.  i.  lo.  Colof.  i.  20. 
The  prefent  defign  is  to  recover  and  rejiore  all  things  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  all  In  all  where  they  once  were. 

The  conjiituiion  or  covenant  of  life  of  that  kingdom,  fuhfijiing 
between  God  and  holy  rationals^  upon  condition  of  perfeSl  obedience^ 
to  as  God's  holy  fpiritual  moral  lato,  ordained  to  continue  life  to 
the  unlapfed,  while  obeyed^  as  every  proper  law  is,  ^  It  required 
un finning  obedience,  declared  the  rights  and  dues  of  God,  and 
his  fubjefts  according  to  legal  juftice  :  obedience  without  any 
criminal  defeft  rendered  the  reward  of  debt ;  and  the  tranfgref- 
fion  of  it  rendered  the  punifhment  equally  of  debt  alfo,  with- 
out any  pofTibiiity  of  recovery  upon  the  foot  of  law,  or  while 
the  law  was  In  force  and  trefpaffes  were  imputed  according  to 
law.  All  were  capable  of  obeying  by  the  ftrength  of  holy 
nature  ;  for  fuch  as  fell  might  have  flood  as  well  as, the  holy 
angels  :  but  being  free  agents,  without  which  they  could  not  be 
moral  accountable  agents,  and  unconfirmed,  they  might  abufe  their 
liberty  and  fall,  as  fome  in  fa6t  did.  But  being  lapfed  it  was 
impoflible  for  them  to  be  reftor.ed  only  by  the  iuper-legal  grace 
of  the  fovereign.  Grace  is  not  of  the  law.  It  is  in  confe- 
quence,  and  by  occafion  of  the  lapfe  of  fome  from  original 
fanftity,  that  the  Mofalc  creation  took  place  as  introd«6lory 
to  the  mediatorial  economy.  The  moral,  is  a  royal  law,  and 
mufl  fometime  or  other  have  been  an  inflitution  to  eternal 
life.  But  in  this  world  there  never  was  any  other  way  to 
eternal  life,  than  by  the  gift  of  God  througli  Jefus  Chrift  as 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GO^  4^ 

to  come,  or  as  come.  And  therefore  this  is  not  the  fir  ft  world 
in  which  rationals  haveexifted,  for  God  certainly  never  created 
ibuls  loft,  and  as  needing  redemption  from  his  hands,  and  a  law 
to  give  them  life. 

5.  Conjeftures  about  the  time  of  the  original   creation  can 
only  be  of  weight  according  to  their  probability. 

The  learned  Pearfon  on  the  creed  fuppofes  it  not  to  be  impof- 
iihlc  for  fomething  to  be  coeval  with  God,  as  the  heavens  his  throne, 
or  for  the  creature  to  be  created  from  all  eternity  by  a  free  determina- 
tion of  his  toilL  Another  polition  of  his  is  not  more  admiffible, 
*^  That  no  infiant  of  time  can  be  ajfigned  wherein  God  could  not 
have  made  the  world,"  Caufes  muft  precede  their  effefts,  and 
an  eternal  caufe  of  an  eternal  effe£i:  cannot  therefore  poflibly  be. 
For  if  the  world  is  not  felf-exiftent,  but  hath  its  being  from 
another,  that  other  muft  exift  before  it,  becaufe  it  is  impoHible 
that  what  depends  upon  another,  and  had  its  being  from  it, 
Ihould  be  eo-exiftent  with  it4  God  as  creator  muft  be  before 
the  creature,  and  what  was  made  had  a  beginning,  and  therefore 
cannot  be  co-etemal  with  him.  When  the  fir  ft  crested  things 
and  beings  began  to  be  we  are  ignorant.  But  that  all  things 
and  creatures  did  not  begin  to  exift  at  one  and  the  fame  time, 
there  is  more  than  conjeflural  evidence.  There  muft  have 
been  foms  natural  order,  the  material  creation  muft  have 
preceded  that  of  vital  beings  defigned  to  inhabit  it,  otherwifc 
they  could  have  had  no  place  to  exift  in.  Creatures  of  the 
fame  fpccies  and  cognation  muft  have  been  created  together, 
and  all  that  are  immortal,  for  tradu£lion  is  to  lupply  thevvaftc 
©f  monality.  Farther,  all  the  parts  of  the  original  creation  had 
an  exigence  antecedent  to  that  creation  of  which  the  Molaic 
hiftory  gives  an  account,  as  appears  from  that  hiftory  itfslf,  and 
is  fuppofcd  by  the  whole  tenor  of  chriftianity,  which  defignedly 
leads  our  thoughts  back  to  what  took  place  long  before  the 
generation  of  our  heaveoj  and  earth,  not  fix  thoufand  years  ago. 


48  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CRfiATION 

It  certainly  doth  more  hurt  to  the  credit  of  fcripturc  to  fay, 
"  That  God  created  all  things  out  of  nothing  in  the  fpace  of  fix 
days,  and  all  very  good,'*  when  in  the  Bible  we  find  no  fuch 
thing,  or  any  thing  like  it,  but  rather  the  contrary  ;  than  to 
fay  that  the  fcripture  doth  not  treat  of  the  firft  creation,  but 
fuppofes  it,  and  begins  its  account  with  the  origin  of  terreftrial 
animal  things  only  :  becaufe  this  we  find  to  be  the  truth  of  faft. 
A  certain  writer  faith,  *•  After  heaven  was  created,  and  the 
angels,  and  the  continued  rebellion  of  forae,  and  their  detrufion 
from  heaven  into  Tartarus,  it  pleafed  God  to  form  this  earth, 
which  had  remained  defolate  all  the  time  the  republic  of  angels 
flood,  which  he  made  the  place  of  confinement  of  the  rebellious 
angels  who  inhabit  the  darknefs  of  this  world.  And  that  a 
great  fpace  of  time  intervened  from  the  fii-ft  creation  to  this, 
the  following  words  fhev/  :  The  earth  zoas  zvithout  form 
and  void,  and  darknefs  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep  j  which 
words  the  divine  penman  would  not  have  added,  if  the  adorn- 
ation  of  it,  had  prefently  followed  its  produ£lion  out  of 
nothing.'*  St.  Chryfoft,  Hilary,  Caflian,  and  the  generality 
of  the  Jews,  &c.  fuppofe  an  intelligible  world  of  fpirits 
exifted  long  before  our  terraqueous  globe  and  what  belongs  to 
it  v/ere  created.  Epifcopius  and  Defcartes  difpute  for  this 
opinion,  that  this  earth  lay  long  in  a  chaotic  flate  before  it  was 
thus  adorned.  And  this  will  farther  appear  when  we  come  to 
confider  the  Mofaic  creation  itfelf.  For  if  what  we  have  con- 
fidered  as  parts  of  the  original  creation  were  not  made  before 
the  Mofaic  creation  took  place,  they  never  were  made,  or 
Mofes  was  a  very  faulty  hiftorian,  for  it  will  be  found  he 
gives  no  manner  of  account  of  them,  or  of  any  thing  only  as 
relating  to  our  fyftem. 

Before  the  account  of  the  original  creation  of  God  is 
^nifiied,  the  caufe  or  eficiejit  thereof  muft  be  mentioned  ;  and 
ikcmetive  inducing  thereunto  muft  be  juft  mentioned  alfo. 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  4^ 

The  cau/i  or  efficient  w^s  the  one  pcrfon,  God,  called  the  Father, 
tiot  excluding  the  agency  of  the  eternal  Spirit^  as  to  forae  parts 
of  it  at  leaft. 

The  creation  of  all  things  is  afcribed  to  him  that  (its  upo»i 
the  throne.  Rev.  iv.  10.  I.  Cor.  viii.  6.  ACis  iv.  24,  27. 
0/  the  Father  are  all  things,  the  Father  of  the  holy  Child  Jefus, 
But  feme  objeU  to  this  the  fcripture  ufe  cf  the  plural  noun  Elohim 
in  the  account  oj  the  Mofaic  creation,  and  from  hence  infer  thai 
a  Trinity  was  the  Author  of  that  creation,  and  of  this  alfo.  But 
if  Elohim  fignifies  the  Trinity,  as  the  Soirit  of  Elohim  (the 
Trinity)  moved  upon  the  waters,  there  mud  neceffarily  be  four 
perfons  creating,  Elohim  the  Trinity,  and  the  Spirit  of  that 
Tiinity,  which  is  one  too  many  for  even  triunitarian  fcholaftics. 
God  made  Mofes  an  Elohim  to  Pharaoh,  JE.xcd,  vii.  1.  but  not 
a  Trinity.  When  the  ferpent  tells  the  woman  they  Ihould  be  as 
the  Elohim,  it  doth  not  mean  a  Trinity.  Nor  is  that  phrafe*' 
"  Let  lis  make  man,**  or  that,  «« Who  will  go  for  us^  mere  to  the 
purpofe.     See  Luke  ix.  50,  and  Mark  ix.  40. 

If  the  cxprefiion  had  been,  Let  Me  make  man,  it  would  lock 
like  afking  leave  cf  a  faperior.  If  this  v.'ili  not  do,  the  Holy 
Spirit  being  prefent  will  account  for  the  plural  lis.  In  Job^ 
BehcTuoth,  a  plural  noun,  is  joined  to  a  Angular  verb,  to  exprefs 
his  greatnels.  If  Elohim  fignify  dominion,  as  Grotius  and 
Dr.  Hammond  fay,  Elohim  may  exprefs  the  greatness  zrA 
manifold  power  of  God,  as  Lawgiver  and  Judge  as  v>c]l  c.s 
Creator.  If  its  prove  a  Trinity  in  unity,  v^hy  may  not  me  ia 
the  hrd  command  prove  a  unity  in  Trinity  ;  and  fo  change 
them,  Let  me  viake  man— -Thou  Jkalt  have  no  other'gods  Itfore  usi 
The  jews  may  be  hjppofed  to  know  their  own  language  a^ 
well  as  any  elfe  :  But  none  of  them,  either  ancient  or  modern, 
infpired  or  unlnrpired,  ever  grounded  the  do6lrine  of  a  Trinity 
on  fuch  idiomatical  expreflions.  And  in  faft  we  trace  no  image 
of  a  Trinity  in  man,  nor  is  he  renewed  lifter  the  image  cf  ihe:-^?-) 
G 


|6  ©F  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

but  him,  that  created  him.  Nor  is  there  in  God*s  other  w©rk3 
any  vlfible  imprefs  of  a  Trinity, 

Rememher  thy  Creat»rSy  as  the  original  is,  may  be  accounted 
for  idiomatically,  or  it  may  fignify  God*s  creating  them  twice, 
firft  as  men,  fecondly  as  Jews,  as  he  doth  us  as  men,  and  as 
chriftians.  The  holy  and  eternal  Spirit  of  God  was  an  agent 
in  the  original,  and  Mofaic  creation.  The  completing  of  God's 
works,  where  the  produft  is  light,  life,  or  fanftity  j  is  afcribed  to 
the  Spirit.  The  Spirit  of  God  made  me,  faith  Job.  And  He 
moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters  in  the  beginning  of  the 
creation  of  our  fyftem.  Yet  creation  is  not  fo  his  perfonal 
work  as  to  conftitute  any  his  creatures  and  fubje£ls.  But  the 
Son  of  God  was  no  agent  in  the  original  or  Mofaic  creation, 
there  is  another  creation  to  be  afcribed  to  him. 

ThewoiJfo^inducingGodto  create  was  his /'Z^^r^.  Rev.  i  v.  x  i. 

When  nothing  exiftcd  but  God,  nothing  without  himfelf 
could  be  the  impulfive  caufe  of  creation.  Being  good  himfelf, 
of  pure  bcnevolance,  he  was  difpofed  to  communicate  the  good 
of  exiftcnce,  and  its  attendant  advantagss,  to  things  and  creatures 
which  then  were  not.  But  although  there  never  was  a  time 
when  God  was  not  good,  it  will  not  follow  that  he  was  always 
communicative  of  his  goodnefs ;  becaufe  communicative  good- 
ness is  not  necejfary,  but  free,  and  he  would  not  have  been  evil, 
if  he  had  never  created  any. 

Beings  void  of  judgment,  when  put  in  motion,  aft  always  to 
the  extent  of  their  power.  The  fun  gives  light  and  heat  by 
necelTity,  without  any  fufpenfion  ©f  influence  at  onetime  more 
tha^i  at  another.  But  God,  in  creation,  was  under  no  fuch 
ccnflraint,  nor  was  he  determined  by  the  h«pe  of  any  greater 
'perlonal  happinefs  or  glory  than  what  he  then  poITeffed.  His 
infinite  underftanding  dire£led  his  determinations,  but  he  was 
free  in  his  refolves  and  a£ls.  And  as  goodnefs  moved  him  to 
treate,    he  gave  nothing   but  beneficial  being  to  any  creature, 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  51 

!>y  his  creative  agency.  And  as  his  free  benevolent  dettrmina. 
tions  were  accompanied  with  power,  <'  He  fpake  the  wort^ 
and  all  were  created.'*     Let  there  bs  light,  and  there  mas  light. 

An  account  of  the  Mofaic  creation  mufi  now  be  given,  as  not 
original,  fpirltual  or  heavenly,  hut  natural,  terrejtrial  and  animal : 
not  out  of  nothing,  but  sut  of  pre-exijient  matirials. 

The  truth  of  the  above  appears  evident  from  the  hiftory  itfelf, 
as  explained  by  other  fcriptures,  and  from  the  Adamical  cecono- 
my,  from  the  origin  of  Chrift  and  his  religion,  in  the  divine 
predeftination  before  the  world  was,  and  its  defigned  view 
beyond  the  deftruftion  of  all  the  Mofaic  creation. 

The  writer  of  the  hiftory  of  the  creation,  the  beginning  of 
Genefis  gives  an  account  of,  is  allov/ed  to  be  Mofes  the  law* 
giver  under  God  to  the  Jews,  a  perfon  of  good  abilities,  verfed 
in  all  the  learning  of  th«  Egyptians,  and  a  prophet  of  God. 
He  writes  it  primarily  for  the  JewSj  then  a  very  ignorant  people, 
having  juft  emerged  from  llavcry  and  cruel  bondage  ;  but 
fecondarily  for  the  univerfality  of  mankind  who  might  read  it. 
It  is  not  therefore  written  philofophically,  but  popularly, 
according  to  common  apprehenfions,  as  a  lpe£iator  would  have 
done  who  had  boen  privileged  with  a  fight  of  the  whole  procefs. 
The  account  he  gives  is  c:onfeficdly  fhort,  but  intelligible,  auci 
ought  not  to  be  allegorized  as  feme  hgve  done,  but  to  be 
underftood  literally  according  to  the  obvious  meaning  of 
words. 

The  firft  verfe  in  chapter  firfl  gives  the  contenis  of  the 
whole  hiftory  of  creation.  "In  the  beginning  God  created 
the  heaven?  and  the  earth."  And  the  firft  verfe  in  chapter 
fecond  concludes  hi§  narration,  "Thus  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  were  finifhed  and  all  the  hoft  of  them."  Having  laid 
down  the  general  plan  of  his  hiftory,  he  tells  us  in  what  ftate 
the  heavens  and  earth  were  before  creation  began.  In  the 
bq|iun;ng,    or  commencement  of  that  epoch   he  fet  out  from. 


o- 


OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 


the  ^A^hoIe  fubjeft  matter  of  his  hiflory  was  earth,  without  form 
and  void,  and  tseiers,  for  his  heaven  was   made  by  fixing  a 
Armament  or  cxpanfum  in  the  midn;  of  the   waters,    dividing 
the  waters  under  it  from  the  waters  above  it,  which  firmament 
is  called  heaven,  msde  the  fecond  day.     The  matter  of  the 
earth  exifted  before,  but  in  a  very  confufed  flate,  without  order 
and  regularity  :  and  darknefs  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep  or 
abyfs.     Here  is  alfo  a  plain    evidence   that   was  not   the  firft 
creation,   becaufe  chaotic  confufi©n   was   prior  to  order,   and 
darknefs  to  light  in  our  fyftera,  which   never  can  be  thought 
to  be  the  firft  produftions  of  the  God    of   order  and    Father 
of  lights.     The  natural  ftate  of  things  was  like  that  moral  ftate 
of  things  that  exifted  prior  to  the  new  creation,  for  there  is  a 
{Irift  analogy  between  thefe  creations,   confidering  the  firft  as 
ngtursl,  and  figurative  of  the  lattbr  :  in  both,  the  darknefs  was 
Brft,  the  light  (bined  out  of  darknefs,  and  in  darknefs,  and  the 
darknefs   comprehended   it   not.     II.  Cor.  iv,  6.     John  i.  5. 
After  defcribing  the  ftate  of  things  before  creation,  he  mentions 
the  firft  preparatory  to  it,  in  the  Spirit  of  Eiohim's  moving,  like  a 
jo'vi  over  her  eggs  or  young,  upon  the  face  of  the  waters.    This 
put  the  ilagnant  raafs  in  motion,   and  prepared  it  for  the  firft 
creative  command^    "Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light." 
Longinus  hath  reputed   this  as  an  example  of  the  fublime  :  and 
others  have  remarked  that  it  is  an  expreffive  tautology   in  the 
original.     It  was  natural  l^ght,  the  light  of  this  world  :  and  it 
was  day  light,  for  *<  God  divided  the  light  from  the  darknefs, 
and  called   ihe  light  day,  and  the  darknefs  night."     And  yet 
it  W3s  funics  day  light,    for  the  celeflial  luminaries   do  not 
appear  till  the  fourth  day.     They  who  think   this  primordial 
light  luminous   particles    in  the   chaos    feparating  themfelves, 
and  which  on  the  fourth  day   were  gathered  into  a  body  and 
formed   the  fun,    forget  that  there  was  already  day  and  night, 
which  cannot  be  in  our  world  without  the  fun.  and  the  earth's 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD,  ^3 

diurnal  rotation.  It  mull  be  light  from  the  fun,  though  that 
did  not  yet  appear.  The  light  could  not  originate  from  daik- 
nefs,  for  that  is  unnatural ;  vinegar  may  originate  from  wine, 
but  wine  was  never  generated  of  vinegar.  The  fuppofing  the 
fun  to  have  exifled  before  as  part  of  a  prior  creation,  eafily 
accounts  for  this  primordial  light.  For  the  chaos  was  in  fuch 
a  ftagnant  ftate  that  the  light  could  not  enter  till  the  Spirit  put 
it  in  motion.  All  before  was  caliginous,  condenfcd,  palpable 
darknefs,  like  the  air  about  fulphurous  mountains,  from  whence 
ilTue  black  and  pitchy  vapors,  fultry  mills,  and  dark  clouds 
which  obfcure  the  day  and  are  impenetrable  to  the  rays  of  the 
fun.  The  parts  of  the  chaos  being  put  ii^  motion,  the  fun's 
light  began  to  enter  the  firfl;  day,  diftinguifhing  it  from  night, 
and  on  the  fecond  day  it  gained  farther  admifiion.  The  parts 
of  the  fluid  mafs  became  more  feparated,  the  groflei  fubfided 
to  make  the  earth  and  feas,  the  more  tenuous  remained  above. 
The  fecond  day  the  firmament  was  made  to  divide  the  upper  and 
lower  waters,  and  is  called  heaven^  all  the  heaven  that  was  then 
created.  Then  an  attenuatiois  of  the  matter  in  the  faperior 
region  of  the  chaos  took  place,  and  a  partition  of  it  was  macifj 
into  two  diflinfl;  regions,  atrial  aqueous.^  and  terraqueous,  Thefc 
alterations  which  began  on  the  firR  qay^  and  proceeded  thus  far 
on  the  fecond  day,  gave  admifljon  to  the  fun  br-STps,  and  caufed 
fuch  a  dim  illumination  as  we  obferve  at  bieak  of  day.  On  the 
third  day  the  waters  under  heaven  are  gathered  together  into 
one  place  and  called  the  feas,  and  the  dry  land  appeared  which 
is  called  earth.  Out  of  the  earth  are  produced grais,  herbs,  and 
tyees  :  and  all  this  time  it  grew  lighter  and  lighter,  when  on 
the  fourth  day,  all  vapors  being  dilTipated,  the  fun,  moon,  and 
other  luminaries,  appeared  in  <heu-  order,  garnidu'ng  the  firma- 
ment. The  fun's  creation  is  only  a  rthtivf:  making  of  it,  fo  as 
to  become  a  luminary  to  our  terraqueoas  globe,  which  it  could 
not  be  while  it  remained  in  its  rhaotir  f]n(«».      As  a  imtter  o^ 


g-i  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

faith  the  fan  and  other  lights  were  really  made,  but  he  f^itl? 
nothing  of  their  then  creation,  and  the  fun's  being  made  central 
to  certain  fupernal  orbs  which  are  known  to  exift,  and  revolva 
round  it.  All  the  parts  of  this  creation  are  for  the  convenieiicy 
©f  our  fyftem,  the  boundary  of  it.  The  Mofaic  earth  confifted 
only  of  what  is  fublunary,  the  earth  Jlanding  out  of  the  water, 
and  in  the  water,  the  zoorld  th^it  perijhed  by  thejlotd,  and  is  to  hi 
dejlroyed  hy  fire.  II.  Peter  lii.  6,  7.  Since  the  whole  Mofaic 
world  was  created  out  of  his  chaotic  earth,  if  his  creation 
includes  the  whole  univerfe,  then  all  the  celeftial  orbs  were 
extra£led  out  of  this  dark  con fu fed  abyfs,  the  globes  of  fire 
were  made  out  of  muddy  water,  and  a  little  earthy  dirt  no  larger 
than  a  point  compared  to  them.  Such  an  origination  is  un- 
natural, and  the  generation  of  heavenly  things  from  earthly  is 
akin  to  the  atheous  hypothefis  which  originates  life,  and  mind, 
from  dull  matter.  Nay,  the  heaven  of  beatitude,  if  then  made, 
fprang  from  this  chaotic  earth  ;  and  it  was  then  made,  or  never^ 
if  this  was  the  firft  creation.  Where  do  we  read  of  the  creation 
of  angels  or  human  fpirits  in  the  firft  fix  days  work  ?  Nay,  we 
read  of  their  being  fpeclators  of  it,  Jlngifig  together  and  Jhouting 
fur  joy,  at  the  laying  ef  the  foundation  of  this  earth.  Job  xxxviii, 
•7.  On  the  fifth  day  fi{h  and  fowl  were  made  out  of  the  waters. 
And  on  the  fixth  day,  cattle,  creeping  things,  and  all  beads  out  of 
the  earth,  and  laft  of  all,  man  out  of  the  duft  of  the  ground, 
v/ith  the  fame  breath  of  life  with  other  beafts,  and  no  pre- 
eminence above  them  only  as  haying  dominion  over  them» 
Eccle.  iii.  18,  ig. 

He  gives  no  account  of  the  creation,  or  even  ex'iflence  of 
the  heaven  of  happinefs,  of  angels  good  and  bad,  or  even  of 
the  fpirit  of  man^  Such  total  filence  in  thefe  refpefts  is  not  a 
mere  negative  proof  that  this  was  not  the  fiifl;  creation  of  God, 
Bccaufe  the  bufinefs  of  an  hiflorian,  as  a  good  judge,  Livy,  faith, 
is  enarrare  res  gestas^   to  relate  things  tranfafted  ;  and,  it    may 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  55 

be  added,  according  to  their  order  and  importance.  If  this 
creation  was  out  of  nothing,  and  extended  to  all  beings,  and 
things,  it  is  impoflible  to  vindicate  Mofes  from  criminal  defi- 
ciency, in  omitting  the  weightieft  matters,  and  moil  important 
to  be  known,  and  dwelling  upon  what  was  comparatively 
trivial.  If  he  undertook  to  give  an  account  of  the  wholb 
•reation  and  kingdom  of  God,  no  man  could  do  worie  unlciS 
he  had  written  falfehood.  He  gives  no  eccount  of  the  fir^l 
matter's  origin,  and  leaves  all  to  conclude  his  thaos  might  have 
been  eternal,  writes  nothing  of  heaven  or  rationais,  their  Ttateand 
condition,  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  their  greatnefs,  numbers, 
fituation,  inhabitants,  furniture,  &c.  Had  they  been  fubjeSs 
of  his  hiftory,  he  muft;  have  defcribcd  them  as  minutely  as  hs 
doth  terreftrial  animal  things.  For  certainly  the  city  of  God, 
his  throne,  the  celcftial  paradife,  the  glorious  angels,  and 
celeftial  fpirits,  their  polity,  law,  and  government,  andthelapfe 
of  Devils,  were  as  worthy  of  his  defcriptive  pen,  as  the  earthly 
paradife,  the  animal  Adam  and  his  wife,  fowls,  fiflies,  bea.ls 
and  plants.  But,  if  his  creation  was  only  of  our  terreflr-al 
fyflem,  and  of  earthly  animal  things,  and  even  conuders  man 
as  then  made  only  ah  animal,  though  their  chief,  he  hath  done 
well,  he  is  intelligible  and  confiftent,  as  our  hypothefis  renders 
him.  It  is  from  other  fcriptures  aEd  not  from  the  hiftory  of 
the  Hexemeron,  that  we  learn  the  exiflence  of  angels,  oi  devils 
and  their  lapfe,  and  even  of  the  Ipirit  of  roan  within  him 
diftinguifhing  him  from  beafts. 

The  Mofaic  account  of  the  creation,  {>ate,  and  ceccnomy  of 
Adam,  as  compared  with  other  IcriptureS,  confirms  the  truth  of 
the  above  hypOthefis.  See  the  account  in  Genehs,  fecond 
chapter  and  feventh  verfe.  Made  out  of  tlje  dufl:  of  the  ground, 
•f  the  earth,  earthy,  I.  Cor.  xv.  47.  and  by  the  Lord'i 
breathing  into  his  noftrils  the  breath  of  life,  he  becan^e  a  Lving 
fouL     The  original  Ni/chmath  Ckajiim   is  applied  v^  z"\  living 


56  Ol-  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

creatures,  they  all  h^ve  living  fouls  equally  with  man,  all  eni 
breathy  and  man  hath  no  preeminence  above  them,  Eccles.  iii. 
18,  19,  20.  only  as  the  breath  of  life  was  breathed  into  his  nof- 
trils.     The  breath  of  life  is  the  breath  of  refpiration  ;  man  dies 
by  breathing  it  out,  or  yielding  up  the  ghofl:  or  foul.  Job  xxvii. 
3.  Gen.xi.17.  Jobxii.  10.   Pf.civ,  29.  cxxxv.  17.  cxlvi.  4. 
el.  6,    Kai.  ii.  22.    Jerem.  x.  14.  Hab.  ii.  ig.  Afts  xvii.  25. 
Lam.  iv.  10.   &c.     We,  as  exifting  in   this   world,    confift 
in  J'pirit ,  foul  and  body  :  but  man  ranks  with  beads  in  his  prefent 
eftatc,  that  God  might  mamfefl  himj    be  was  made  and  placed 
among  beads  :  and  what  is  common  to  man  ^nd  beads   is   no 
part  of  the  human  nature,   that    belongs  to  the   fpirit   which 
goeth  upward,  and  not  to  the  foul  and  body.     And  thus  Adam 
was  made,    as  it  is   written,    a   living  foul,   a  natural,    earthy, 
animal  man  as  did  inguidied  from    a  fplritual  rhan,   and  cor- 
ruptible as  didinguifhed  from  incorruption.      I.  Cor.  xv.  45, 
46,  47,  and  50.    Afts  xvii.  28,    Heb.  ii.  14.      He  had  not  tht 
fpirit,  for  no  natural  man  hath,  or  rcceiveth    the  things  of  the 
fpirit.     An  immortal  fpiiit  coming  from  God   was   then  made 
partaker  of  flePn  and  blood,  as  it  is  how   in  all  the  fuccedive 
generations  of  men.     But  it  was   not   then   made.     It  now 
teturns  to  God   who  gave  it   when  it  leaves  the  body,  which 
proves  its  prior  exiflcncc,  as  he  could  not  give  what  was  not^ 
nor  could  that  return  where  it  never  was.     As  fpirits,  we  are 
the  oR'apring  and  children  of  God.      Adam  is  exprefsly  faid  to 
be  zf^ni-c^  iyp^t  of  him  that  was  to  co^rrie^    Rom,   v.   14.    ever^ 
Chrilt  a  fpiritual  man.      A  figure  or  type  of  a  fpiritual  man  1% 
not  fpiritual,   any  more  than  ftiadow  is  fubdance,  or  nature  is 
grace.       This   determines    Adam's    chara£ler    as    head    of   his 
dcfccndants    in    nature  only,    and    things    natural.     Being  a 
natural  man.  he  was  innocent,  but  not  holy  :   he  was  alfo  up- 
right, but  human  uprightnefs  is  a  date  between  dn  and  holinefs, 
hut  is  not  the  latter,  any  more  than  the  human  nature  is  the 


AhJD  KINGDOM  Of  GOD.  57 

divine.  The  image  of  God,  man  was  created  in,  confifts  not  in 
immateriality  or  intell?9!dality,  for  then  the  devils  would  be  in 
his  image  as  fpirits.  It  was  not  God's  holy  image,  it  belonged 
to  God's  Jlate,  not  to  his  nature  ;  and  whatever  it  is,  man  nevet 
loft  it,  but  retains  it  now.  Gen.  i.  26.  ix.  6.  I.  Cor.  xi.  7. 
James  iii.  9.  It  is  his  dominion  over  creatures  :  Man  is  the 
image  and  glory  of  God  as  the  head  of  the  woman,  Noah  had 
his  dominion  over  beafts  extended  to  their  lives  wl^ch  Adam 
had  not.  In  Adam  we  fee  only  a  natural  man,  terreftrial  and 
animal.  His  body  was  corruptible  and  mortal,  elfe  it  would 
not  have  been  placed  where  it  was.  What  divines  have 
written  of  his  wondrous  knowledge,  his  fkili  in  philofophy,  and 
his  amazing  fagacity  in  naming  the  creatures,  amounts  to  nothing 
when  we  read  the  hiftory  of  him.  His  naming  of  the  creatures 
from  their  obvious  qualities  and  not  their  internal  natures,  was 
like  a  farmer's  naming  his  ftock.  He  had  every  thing  to  learn, 
as  either  naturally  or  lupernaturally  taught  of  God,  efpc^cially 
fpeech  and  language  :  and  was  wholly  deftitute  of  experience. 
Being  alone,  and  as  the  principles  of  both  fexes  in  him  were 
undivided,  and  God  having  formed  the  earth  to  be  replenifhed 
v;ith  human  animals  for  immortal  fpirits  to  be  united  to,  for 
their  manifeftatlon  and  vindication  into  the  liberty  of  the  fons 
cf  God  by  Chrift  foreordained  before  that  creation,  out  of  Adam 
fleeping  God  took  a  rib  and  builded  a  woman,  and  by  marriage 
made  her  a  wife.  There  is  no  more  account  of  the  creation 
of  the  woman's  fpirit  than  there  was  of  the  man's.  Traduc- 
tlonifts  may  fay  vvhere  it  came  from.  Mofes  obferves  they 
were  both  naked  without  Ihame,  which  argues  innocence  : 
children  now  being  naked  feel  no  fhame  till  they  know  good 
and  evil. 

The  oeconomy  or  difpenution.  Adam  was  under,  every  way 
correfponds  to  his  before  defcribed  nature,  (late  and  chara6ler. 
We  read  not  a  word  of  any  covenant  of  life  fabfidlng  between 

H 


58         6f  the  original  creation 

God  and  him  upon  condition  of  perfeE  obedience,  made  not  only 
for  himfelf,  but  pofterity.  Not  a  word  of  any  promife  of 
eternal  life.  Innumerable  airy  caftles  have  been  built  upon 
the  bafelefs  foundation  of  reprefentative,  hereditary,  or  traduc- 
tional  holinefs,  immortality  and  happinefs  in  cafe  he  had  flood, 
and  of  the  like  fin,  mortality  and  mifery  by  his  lapfe.  Some- 
times a  promiffory  fettlement  is  called  a  covenant,  but  it  is  a 
covenant  of  one  party  only.  Such  an  one  God  eftablifhed 
with  Ncah  and  every  living  thing,  not  to  fend  another  flood 
upon  them.  But  the  tranfa£lion  with  Adam  did  not  amount 
even  to  an  exprefs  promife.  There  is  only  a  pofitive prohibition 
of  his  eating  of  one  tree,  under  a  certain  penalty,  and  i  pcr- 
miffive  command  of  eating  of  the  others,  efpecially  of  the  tree 
of  life.  Gen.  ii.  16,  17.  T|ie  command  is  firft  given,  Thou 
maytji  eat^  and  the  prohibition  is  by  way  of  exception.  This 
is  the  famed  covenant  oj  lije^  the  firft  covenant  oj  zuorks,  confift- 
ing  in  doing  nothing,  the  Shibholeth  o/fcholafiic  orthodoxy ^  of 
v.'hich  thoufands  of  volumes  have  been  written,  taught  to  chil- 
dren  in  catechifmSj  and  handed  down  from  old  father  to  young 
father  with  an  anathema  if  not  believed.  But  the  account 
Mofes  gives  is  fimply  this.  Adam,  an  innocent,  natural, 
terreftrial  animal  of  the  human  fpecles,  the  only  one  exifting, 
and  juil:  come  into  being  to  begin  a  new  world,  without  fin 
and  without  fpiritual  life,  and  alfo  without  the  experimental 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  is  commanded  to  eat  of  the  fruit 
of  all  the  trees  of  the  garden  wherein  he  was  placed  to  drefs  it, 
one  tree  only  excepted  upon  the  penalty  of  death,  or  returning 
to  the  ground  or  duft  from  whence  he  came.  By  having  an 
immortal  fpirit  added  to  his  animal  part,  he  was  under  moral 
obligations  to  love  his  Maker,  and  his  neighbor  when  he  fhould 
have  any  :  yet  he  is  left  to  the  direftion  of  the  law  of  his  mind 
as  to  thcfe  matters,  and  for  his  trial  forbid  to  depart  from  in- 
nocence by  eating    of  a  particular  tree.     The  nature  of  ths 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  5^, 

prohibition   fhews  what  his  ftate  was,  as  it  tries  his  obedience 
by  reftraining  his  natural  appetite.      That  he  was  in  his  own 
nature  mortal  is  moft  evident,  for  as  flefh  and  blood  he  could 
not  but  be  liable  to  die  in  the  natural  courfe  of  things.      This 
courfe  of  nature  was  under  a  particular  reftraint,  or  fufpenfion 
during  his  trial,  fo  that  while  he  was  innocent  he  was  not  to 
die.      But  upon  his  departure  from  innocence,    that  reftraint 
was  to  be  removed,  and  death  was  to  come  on  him  penally,  as 
it  vy^ould  have  done  naturally,   had  there  been   no  iufpenfion. 
Nothing  is  promifed  him  pofuively.     What  he  needed  was  the' 
divine  nature  or  fpiritual  life,  as  the  placing  before  him  the  tree 
of  life,  a  type  of  Chrift  foreordained  to  come,  fhews.      He  was 
partly  in  the  lituation  Solomon  placed  Shimei,  who  was  not  to 
die  for  his  treatment  of  David,   and  who  was  under  the  lame 
obligations  to  loyalty  ihat  others  were,  and  liable  to  die  naiuraily, 
but  the  day  he  departed  out  of  Jerufalem  he  was  to  die  ptnaUy 
for  that   aft,    his  defert  of  death  for   his  former  conduct  was 
fufpended   by  David's  promiicj  and  he  was  put  upon  a   new 
trial. 

The  lapfe  of  Ad^m  confirms  our  idea  of  his  nature  and  flate. 
The  lapfe  is  introduced  with  an  account  of  the  ferpent  repie- 
fented  as  the  tempter. 

Now  it  was  really  the  Devil  who  was  the  feducer  :  our 
Savior  faith  he  was  a  murderer  from  the  beginning,  and  fo  was 
lapfed  into  this  world,  from  his  original  ftanding  in  the  king- 
dom of  God.  All  accounts  ©f  the  devil's  lapfe,  (hoil  of  a  total 
apofhacy,  are  unfatisfaftory.  It  is  laid  they  finned ,  kept  not 
their  Jirfi  eftate,  but  left  their  own  habitation.  They  became 
tranfgreffors  of  God's  holy  royal  law,  and  rebels.  Our  Savior 
faith,  '-He  abode  not  in  the  truth."  If  pride  or  envy,  which 
are  mere  perfonal  qualities,  had  been  the  devil's  fin,  he  would 
have  finned  alone,  or  with  a  few  feleft  companions  ;  from  the 
numbers   concerned,  it  appears  to  have  been  amhiiion  m  their 


6o  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

chief,  who  by  hi$  fubtilty  gradually  drew  others  into  the  revolt 
from  the  divine  government.  He  fought  to  be  like  the  Mofl; 
High,  not  in  his  nature^  but  in  his  JlaU  and  fovereignty.  That 
Satan  aimed  at  a  fovereignty  and  divine  fovereignty,  his  titles^ 
the  prince  and  god  of  this  world,  fhew.  He  faw  this  world 
lie  vacant  in  its  chaotic  ftate,  where  he  hoped  to  ere£t  his  dia- 
bolic empire,  and  render  it  a  tolerable  habitation  for  him 
and  his  confederates.  His  fin  involvec?  in  it  a  criminal  appe- 
tite of  unfubjeft  dominion  and  unbounded  liberty  but  of  God's 
kingdom.  This  is  the  aim  of  the  heads  of  revolts  from  govern- 
ment. It  is  abfurd  to  fuppofe  that  he  expelled  to  abide  in 
heaven,  nor  did  he  defire  it,  but  left  it  and  drew  after  him 
jnany  others.  It  is  alfo  abfurd  to  fuppofe  battles  fought  in 
heaven,  or  that  Satan  Was  hardly  conquered,  and  driven  out 
by  MefTiah.  He  knew  the  Almighty  too  well  to  hope  to 
xnaintain  his  domination  in  heaven.  There  was  no  Mefliah 
only  in  fore-ordination,  which  precludes  aflual  being,  to  be 
chief  general  of  the  eternal  King.  Seeing  this  part  of  the 
univerfe  unoccupied,  he  cafl  an  ambitious  eye  on  it,  with 
defign  to  ereft  a  kingdom  andgodftiip  here,  independent  of  the 
jnoft  Highs  and  fo  left  his  own  habitation  to  lord  it  here  at 
large.  DifaffeQion  to  the  government  of  heaven,  and  impa- 
tience of  fubordination,  with  an  unbridled  defire  to  be  chief 
himfelf,  put  him  upon  this  projefl;.  Like  Caefar  he  could  not 
bear  a  luperior,  but  had  rather  be  firft  in  a  Imaller,  than  fecond 
in  a  greater  kingdom,  and  this  he  expe£led  to  efFeft  in  this 
world,  and  fo  left  thai,  to  gratify  his  ambitious  defigns  here. 
What  led  that  once  holy  and  happy  being  to  this  audacious 
projeft  was  a  contemplation  of  the  fovereign  eftate  of  God, 
which  raifcd  a  phantom  of  the  like  in  himfelf,  and  this  being 
unchecked  in  its  firft  conception,  ended  in  his  fin  and  ruin. 
This  is  the  more  probable,  as  this  world  is  Satan's  kingdom  of 
ckoice,  and  he  is  the  god   of  it  ;    though  it  is  alfo   bis  prifcn^ 


* 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  6t 

and  will  be  the  place  of  his  punifhment.  It  is  the  fate  of 
fmful  proje£ls  to  ferve  as  a  punifhment  to  the  projector  cte;^ 
when  his  defires  are  gratified.'  He  left  heaven  as  protcflants 
did  Rome,  but  not  for  fo  good  a  caufe,  fugit,  et  fugatur,  he 
went  out  and  was  expelled.  Here  we  find  him  with  his  fpirit- 
ual  wickedneffes  in  high  places,  epou  raneos,  aerial  heavenly 
powers  ;  here  he  was  from  the  beginning  ;  how  long  before  we 
know  not.  And  the  placing  Adam  in  a  kind  of  local  fubjeftioti 
to  him,though  in  a  paradife,  was  no  fuch  enviablea  fituation  as 
iome  have  imagined  it  to  be.  The  accommodations  are  plealknt 
and  commodious  to  animal  nature,  but  excepting  in  its  types 
and  figures,  it  was  as  deftitute  of  all  folace  to  an  holy  fpirit, 
as  the  wilds  of  Siberia,  or  the  defarts  of  Arabia  are  to  animal 
life.  Where  is  the  bread  and  water  of  life  for  holy  fouls  ? 
It  was  acceffible  to  Satan  as  the  event  fhews,  and  man  made 
but  a  feeble  refiftance  to  keep  him  out,  .or  his  own   {landing. 

The  preceding  account  of  the  lapfe  of  devils  was  introduced 
becaufe  Mofes  in  his  account  of  man's  lapfe  attributeth  his 
feduftion  to  the  fcrpent  who  deceived  Eve,  as  what  led  to 
man's  fall. 

*'Now  the  ferpent  was  more  fubtil  than  any  bcafl:  of  the 
field  which  the  Lord  God  had  made,  and  he  laid  unto  the 
woman,*'    &c.      Gen.  iii.  1,2, 

It  is  certain  the  old  ferpent  the  Devil  was  the  tempter  and 
deceiver,  for  we  fo  read  in  other  places.  The  reafon  of  his 
being  intreduced  here  under  the  name  of  a  ferpent  is,  that  nona 
but  terreflrial  animals  had  then  been  created  or  even  mentioned  ; 
to  preferve  an  uniformity  a  ferpent  in  name  is  brought  in  as  the 
tempter  of  man,  who  as  then  made  was  an  animal,  yet  bbth  were 
more  than  mere  animals.  The  ferpent  is  here  coufidfred  astne 
fymbol  of  Satan,  as  the  lamb  is  of  ChriH,  and  the  dove  of  the 
holy  Ghofl.  As  the  natural  world  was  divided  into  darknefs 
and  light,  fo  was  the  animal,  into  clean  and  unclean  beafls,  snd 


-^ 


^2  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATIOIST 

the  vegetable,  into  falutary  and  noxious  herbs  and  plants,  each 
good  in  their  kind  ;  but  the  evil  were  reftrained  from   aamg 
their  natures  to  the  hurt  of  any  while  man  was  innocent.     The 
ferpent  was  an  evil  beaft  then  as  he  is  now,  and  good  in  his 
kind  ;  he  would  not  be  a  good  ferpent  without  (ubtilty   any 
more  than  a  lamb  would  be  good  without  meeknefs,  or  a  dove 
without  harmleffnefs.  The  fpeciBc  natures  of  bcafts  were  the  fame 
then  as  now  :  Lions,  tygers,  wolves,  fheep,  lambs,  were  a5 
they  are  now  ;  yet  by  a  providential  reftraint   they  lay  down 
together  without  hurting  one  another,  and  if  no  fm  had  entered, 
the  lion  by  a  change  of  nature  would  have  been  brought  to  eat 
fbraw  like  the  ox.   Ifai.  xi.  6,  7.  and  Ixv.  25.     The  fcripture 
reprefents  rationals   under   the    name  of  animals   whom   they 
refemble   in  fome  qualities.     The   ferpent   is    Satan's  kind  of 
animal,  as  the  lamb  is  ChriU's.      Naturalifts  fpeak  of  him  as  an 
eminent  fubtilift.     Now  it  was  the  ferpent   taken  fpecifically 
and  comprehtnfwdy  that  tempted  Eve  :  as  it  was  the  lamb  taken 
Jpecijically  and  comprchenjively,  that  taketh  away  the  fins  of  the 
world.      And  it  is  as  abfurd  to  fuppofe  that  it  was  the  brute 
ferpent  in  one  cafe,  as  it  would  be  to  fuppofe  it  was  the  brute 
lamb  in  the  other.      It  was  a  rational   difcourfing  ferpent,    for 
he /pake  unto  the  zjoman,  &c.     If  the  brute  ferpent  had  fpoken 
or  Satan  in  his  fliape,  it. would  have  been  a  prodigy,  and  have 
frighted   Eve  to  her  hufband,    and  defeated  his  projeft.      She 
knew  ferpents  could  not  fpeak  or  hold  difcourfe  ;  their  organs 
are  more  unfit  for  it    than  almoft  any  other  creature.     And  it 
is  ridiculous  to  imagine  the  ferpent  was  different  from  what  he 
is  now,  that  he  crawled  up  the  tree,  eat  the  fruit,  and  affumed 
a  more  fhining  form,  and  fpake  as  an  effe£l  of  that  eating. 

If  fuch  a  reprefentation  may  pleafe  children  in  a  Primer^  it 
is  fhameful  for  fober  Divines  to  put  it  into  zfyfiem  of  truths. 
Though  no  celeftials  or  infernals  were  at  that  time  made,  the 
woman  knew  there  were  fuch  beings,  for  the  ferpent  tells  tb^ 


AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  $^ 

woman  they  fiiould  be  as  the  Elohim.  He  knew  (he  under- 
ftood  him,  or  elfe  the  motive  would  have  been  vain.  It  is 
likely  thefe  Elohim  had  frequent  intercourfe  with  Adam  and 
Eve,  while  innocent,  in  fome  (hape  approaching  to  human  form^ 
Satan  in  whofe  territories  man  was  placed,  though  in  a  garden* 
takes  advantage  of  this  circumftance,  and  takes  a  form  familial- 
to  the  woman,  like  to  an  angd  of  lights  foi  fo  he  tempts  the 
innocent  fuccefsfully,  yet  with  fome  badge  or  mark  by  v/hich 
he  might  have  been  known,  if  her  eagernefs  to  hear  him,  or 
defire  of  the  fruit,  had  not  prevented  her  taking  notice  of  it* 
Whether  this  badge  of  cognizance  was  external  like  that  of  the 
cloven  foot,  as  the  learned  Mr.  Mede  fuppofes,  or  was  to  be  known 
by  what  he  faggefted,  is  not  for  us  to  fay.  Though  the  fuppo- 
fuion  of  that  author  is  reafonable,  that  none  from  the  other  world 
are  permitted  to  appear  here  in  fuch  a  difguife  to  our  hurt,  as 
that  the  evil  cannot  be  diftinguifhed  from  the  good.  This  may 
be  laid  down  as  a  certain  rule,  that  if  any  chief  devil,  fub-devii 
or  devil's  imp,  in  any  fiiape,  whether  of  an  angel  of  light,  or 
minifter  of  Chrift,  contradift  the  Almighty,  as  the  lerpent  did, 
or  Chrift  and  his  word,  it  is  evidence  enough  to  all  true  faints 
who  and  what  the^  are.  If  the  woman  had  minded  this  fh« 
would  have  been  fafe ;  She  was  off  her  guard,  beinor  innocerjC 
and  inexperienced,  like  other  females  (ince,  and  knew  hot  thai 
Ihe  had  to  deal  with  a  fcrpent  full  of  fubdlty,  but  void  of 
harmleffneis.  He  kguiUd  her,  and  being  deceived  flie  did  eau 
If  Satan  had  made  an  organ  of  the  brute  ferpent  there  would 
have  been  two  tempters,  whereas  there  was  but  one.  If  it 
had  been  written,  "  Now  the  lamb  was  moie  meek  than  any 
beaft  of  the  field  which  God  had  made,  and  he  iaid  to  the  man. 
or  woman  I  will  fave  mankind,**  would  a  chrilliiin  undeiftanci 
this,  either  of  a  brute  lamb,  or  of  Chrlfl  in  his  fiiape,  or  ufing 
it  as  his  organ  ?  The  woman,  thus  beguiled  and  deceived;  eU  ; 
but  what  induced  the  faint  Adam,  as  Ibnae  fuooofs  h.\:-n  lo  b-.\ 


64  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  CREATION 

to  coRiply  ?  Mere  uxorioufnefs.  Here  the  ungracious  confi- 
dence cf  flrong  infidel  men  may  triumph  over  the  weaker  wo- 
nian  as  they  do  ofien  ferpent  like  ;  but  another  toovian,  a  virgin, 
will  hereafter  be  introduced  on  the  ftage  as  the  occafion  of  in- 
finitely more  good  to  men,  than  Eve  was  of  evil.  Sin  entered 
our  world,  as  St.  James  defcribes  its  aflual  commifTion  fince  by 
every  individual,  only  in  the  room  of  his  luji,  put  natural  defire 
or  appetite,  which  was  in  itfelf  innocent,  and  the  fault  lay  in 
not  controling  it  within  the  bounds  of  his  Maker's  command. 
This  was  Adam's  original  fin  :  and  every  perfon's  aftual  de- 
parture from  innocence,  is  his  original  fin,  and  introdu6lory  to 
all  that  follow.  The  enormity  of  this  fin  hath  been  greatly 
exaggerated,  and  poor  Adam  and  Eve  have  been  loaded 
with  execrations  by  perfons  miuch  worfe  than  they,  and  have 
been  thought  hard  of  by  perfons  much  better.  Make  as  much, 
of  it  as  any  can,  it  was  only  againft  a  pofitive  prohibition  under 
a  temporal  penalty,  like  to  that  inflifled  on  the  Corinthians, 
death  without  rnercy  oi* reprieve,  I.  Cor.  xi.  30.  which  would' 
have  come  on  him  naturally  in  time,  if  the  tree  of  life  had  not 
prevented.  It  was  no  total  apoftacy,  or  any  fall  from  grace, 
but  from  innocence,  as  every  perfon's  firft  aflual  fin  is.  It  was 
not  like  many  other  fins  which  are  lefs  thought  of,  as  changi.ng 
the  objeft  of  worihip,  crucifying  Chrifl,  &c. 

St.  Auguflin  faith,  *' Job,  'half  dead  on  a  dung  hill,  refifted 
the  temptation  of  his  v.-ife,  while  Adam  in  paradife  complied 
with  the  finful  motion  of  his."  And  here  we  fee  the  difference 
tetwcen  the  power  of  innocent  nature,  and  that  of  grace  even 
though  in  a  bony  of  finful  flefii  fubje£l  to  biles  and  fores.  The 
malignity  of  this  fin  hath  been  heightened  by  a  wrong  idea  of 
man's  ftatc,*leading  to  wrong  apprchenfions  of  the  penalty  and 
its  ccnfequenccs.  He  hath  been  thought  to  fall  from  a  [piritual 
and  even  cslefii-^l  condition,  though  in  an  earthly  paradife,  to 
le  rubjV(51  to  fpiritual  and  eternal  death,  and  to  be  the  unfeeling 


OF  THE  MOSAIC  CREATION,  &c.  '^ 

dellroyer  eternally  of  unborn  millions.  Nay,  fome  have  not 
fcrupled  to  affirm,  that  there  are  infatits  in  hell,  doomed  to 
welter  under  the  fcalding  drops  of  God's  wrath  forever  and 
ever,  for  his  fin.  Such  things  furprife  one  who  looks  into 
fcripture,  and  finds  no  image  of  God  loft  by  man  at  all,  nor  any 
curfe  pronounced  upon  him,  but  only  upon  the  ferpent;  and 
on  the  ground  for  his  fake.  What  was  natural  and  would 
hzve  taken  place  but  for  the  reftraint  on  the  courfe  of  nature^ 
becomes  penal  by  the  removal  of  that  reftraint  :  and  whan 
Jiiight  have  been  changed  for  the  better  becomes  eftablifhed  as 
it  now  is. 

The  firft  confbquence  of  their  departure  from  innocence  is^ 
that  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  thai  they  were  naked» 
They  were  before  haked  and  not  afhamed,  becaufe  innocent, 
but  now  they  attempt  through  fhame  to  hide  themfelves™ 
They  a£t  like  children  who  know  they  have  done  mifchief. 
And  being  called  to  account,  make  an  honeft  corifeffidn  of  the 
matter  a^  it  was,  and  anfwer  with  the  utmoft  fimplicity, 
"When  Jehovah  Elohim  had  traced  the  fin  to  its  author,  he 
proceeds  to  pronounce  fcntSnce  upon  the  ferpent,  and  curfeth 
Satan  in  his  fymbol.  Execrations  extend  to  all  of  their  kind  : 
and  as  to  the  brute  ferpent  what  was  natural  became  penal. 
No  alteration  is  produced  in  his  nature,  gait,  or  food,  .If  the 
curfe  had  affefted  the  ferpent  ip  thefe,  it  would  have  fell  heav- 
left  upon  the  moft  noxious  to  man,  whereas  the  reverfe  is  true, 
as  thefe  are  the  moft  ere£l,  and  eat  the  leaft  duft  with  their  food. 
"  You  are  naturally  a  creeping,  odious  crsature,  and  by  creep- 
ing upon  your  belly  expofed  to  lick  up  duft  with  your  food^ 
Ifa.  Ixv.  25.  thisfliali  be  the  penal  eftablirhment  of  your  na- 
ture for  the  continual  inftm£lion  of  man."  Sut  as  to  the 
old  ferpent  it  had  a  further  reference,  "  You  are  the  moft  dc- 
teftable  and  execrable  of  all  rationals  naturally  ;  you  merit  the 
curfe  for  your  feduftion  of  fpirit5,  and  for  this  additional 
I 


U  6^  THE  MOSAIC  CREATION, 

wickedncfs,  fpiritually  you  are  a  grovelling  wretch,  you  and 
your  generation  of  vipers  go  upon  your  belly,  minding  earthly 
things,  feeding  upon  what  is  ho  better  than  duft  and  allies* 
Be  this  your  doom  by  way  of  penal  fettlement,  be  as  you  are^ 
and  you  cannot  be  worfe,  a  ferpent.'*  The  other  part  of  the 
ferpent's  cur{e  is  prediftive,  "  And  I  will  put  enmity,"  &c» 
Luther  and  fome  others  have  called  this  the  gofpel  in  minia- 
Jure,  but  it  was  gofpel  preached  to  the  devil  as  part  of  his  doom. 

If  Adam  and  Eve  heard  it,  it  was  confolatory  to  them  ; 
hut  it  is  never  quoted  in  the  New  Teflament,  becaufe  it  was 
no  promife  to  man.  Literally  it  put  enmity  between  the  wo- 
man and  the  ferpent :  women  have  a  greater  antipathy  to  them 
than  men,  and  naturalifts  fay  they  have  the  like  to  women  ; 
that  the  light  of  each  other  fhocks  both  ;  their  humors  are 
poifoiious  to  one  another,  her  faliva  to  him,  as  his  bite  to  ber^ 
'^  And  between  thy  feed  and  her  feed,"  the  ferpentine  and 
human  fpecles.  "It  fliall  bruife  thy  bead  and  thou  (halt  bruife 
his  heel."  Men  aim  at  the  ferpent's  head,  the  feat  of  life,  and 
they  revenge  upon  the  heel,  the  part  that  hurts  them.  The 
Ceraftes  lies  in  the  fand,  and  bites  horfes  and  travellers  heels; 
Gen,  xlix.  17, 

But  the  woman  in  the  fenfc  of  eminence  is  the  Virgin  Mary^ 
ider  feed  is  Jefus  born  of  her  without  the  concurrence  of  man. 
He  bruiled  Satan's  head,  gave  a  deadly  wound  to  his  empire, 
when  he  fuffered  in  the  heel  of  the  fleOi.  Myftically  ths 
woman  is  the  church,  her  feed  are  all  faints  born  in  and  of  her, 
between  whom  and  Satan  and  all  his  adherents  there  is  a  bittef 
{"nmity.  The  woman's  doom,  *'  I  will  greatly  multiply  thy 
conception,*'  &c.  only  makes  what  was  natural,  ptnal,  and 
ivhat  might  have  been  changed  for  tlie  better  if,  fne  had  not 
finned,  become  unalterably  fixed.  She  was  naturally  fubjeft 
to  her  hufband,  being  mjue  for  him,  and  not  he  for  her.  I.  Cor. 
'^iii.  9.  But  this  became  penal  for  being  hrft  in  the  tranf* 
greffron,   I.  Tim.  ii.  12<, 


AND  OF  MAN.  167 

Laftly,  man's  doom,  **And  unto  Adam  he  faid,"  &c.  Here 
is  all  the  temporal,  fpiritual,  and  eternal  punifhmcnt  of  Adam'$ 
fin  on  himfelf  and  defendants.  What  would  have  been  the 
jisurfe  of  nature  is  made  penalj  and  v;h2t  might  have  been 
otherwife  eftablifhed  if  he  had  not  fmned,  is  fettled  to  his  dif- 
advantage  as  to  this  world,  but  as  to  the  ne:':t  zjorld,  it  is  a  v-/ife 
and  benevolent'conftitution,  caufing  more  to  feek  to  return 
home,  than  would  have  done,  if  all  things  had  been  more 
agreeable.  Natural  evil  becomes  a  moral  good,  Jt  was  only 
Jtemporal  or  natural  death,  threatened  and  inflifted,  and  affefted 
only  the  animal  part  that  was  then  created :  every  fon  and 
daughter  of  Adam  fuffer  it  ;  and  Chrift  delivers  none  from  it, 
and  reftores  to  nothing  poiieffed  in  Adam,  but  to  fjmething  better,. 
That  a  natural  man  fhould  induce  on  himfelf  and  his  deicend- 
ants  fp'iritual  and  eternal  evils,  or  have  been  capable  of  meriting 
like  benefits,  is  contrary  to  realbn  and  fcripture.  He  bad  nothing 
fpiritual  to  lofe,  had  no  promife  of  what  is  eternal  if  he  obeyed. 
**And  thou  (halt  furely  die,''  amounts  to  no  more  than^  *'  Dult 
thou  art,  and  unto  duft  (halt  thou  return."  As  Adam  was 
only  a  figure  of  Chrift,  fo  were  his  things  figurative  of  fpirit- 
ual. If  he  had  never  linned  he  could  no  more  have  conveyed 
the  divine  life  by  ordinary  jgenerat ion,  if  he  had  been  po{jefi>4 
of  it,  as  he  was  not,  than  he  could  have  created  a  world.  Ti:e 
doflrine  of  reprefentative,  or  hereditary  Hn  or  holincfs,  merits 
contempt.  The  regenerate  now  cannot  beget  holy  offspring, 
much  lefs  could  the  natural  animal  Adam,  As  our  evils  in 
natui'e  come  by  the  £rfl  Adam,  fo  our  fpiritual  good,  come  by 
the  fecond,  and  this  (hews  how,  not  ss  was  the  oHence,  To  alio 
is  the  fiee  gift,  but  that  where  fm  abounded  unto  temporal 
or  natural  death,  grace  doth  nqiuch  mere  abound  unto  eternal 
life.  Rom.  v.  12.  to  ihe  end. 

The  reflrainl  laid  upon  the  courfe  of  nature  during  man '5 
trjal  loeing  removed  upon  his  fin^  the  reign  of  concupifcevicc  in 


68  OF  THE  MOSAIC  CREATION, 

animal  nature  is  introduced,  and  what  was  innocent^  became 
Jinjul  flefh  :  a  body  of  fin  and  death  is  our  natural  inheritance 
from  him.  It  may  be  confidered  as  our  infelicity  but  not  our 
fault,  and  it  may  be  the  occafion  of  greater  good  :  but  if  it 
occafio-n  us  to  follow  his  fteps,  it  becomes  our  own  fin,  and 
we  muft  die  for  it,  except  the  grace  of  God,  ChriR's  redemp- 
tion, and  our  repentance,  prevent. 

After  God  had  pronounced  fentence  upon  the  man  and 
woman,  he  clothes  them  with  coats  of  fkins  of  beads  flain, 
mofl:  probably  in  their  rencounters,  through  the  enmity  now 
fuffered  to  operate,  for  facrifices  were  not  yet  introduced. 

He  next  expels  them  their  garden  with  thcfe  ironical  words, 
"  Behold  the  man  is  become  as  one  of  us,"  &c.  If  they  had 
incurred  fpiritual  and  eternal  death  for  themfelves  and  all  their 
unborn  race,  he  would  never  have  treated  them  in  this  ironical 
manner.  Being  expelled,  he  fets  cherubims  with  a  flaming 
fword  turning  every  way  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life. 
This  tree  we  fuppofe  was  placed  thereto  remind  them  of  the 
life  their  fpirits  had  \o%  and  now  wanted,  and  that  it  was 
only  to  be  recovered  by  Chrift,  whom  it  typified. 

The  hiftory  of  the  bible  afcends  no  higher  than  to  a  typical 
intrcduftion  of  chriftianity,  nor  to  any  creation  but  what  was 
connected  with  that  introduftion,  and  it  not  only  infers  that 
not  to  be  the  firft  creation  of  God,  but  alfo  that  the  fpirits  of 
men  not  being  then  created,  but  before  produced,  were  now 
lapled  into  animal  bodies,  whereby  the  creature  is  fubjefted  to 
vanity  by  God,  not  willingly,  for  their  renovation  and  vindi- 
cation into  the  liberty  of  God's  children. 

'J  hat  fouls  are  now  loft  is  evident  in  that  Chrifl:  came 
to  feek  that  which  was  loft :  and  it  is  certain  God  did  not 
create  them  lofl.  How  to  account  for  this  lofs  hath  puzzled 
divines,  and  they  have  attempted  this  by  three  modes  of  the 
ojigination  of  human  fpirits  :  fee  Dr.  Doddridge's  LeQures.  and 
Dr.  Edward's  Theologia  Refcrraata,  and  others. 


AND  OF  MAN.  69 

Thefe  three  modes  of  the  origination  of  human  fouls  or 
folrits  fhall  be  enquired  into,  and  every  one  be  left  to  follow 
the  full  perfuafion  of  their  own  minds. 

The  iirfl:  hypothecs  is  that  of  the  tradu£lion  of  the  fpirits  of 
men  in  conjunftion  with  their  fouls  and  bodies. 

This  fuppofes  the  whole  of  man  was  created  in  Adam,  and 
that  according  to  the  conftitution  of  God,  he  propagated  whole 
fpirit,  foul  and  body.  But  it  hath  been  validly  proved  that 
the  immortal  fpirit  was  not  then  created  either  in  Adam  or 
Eve,  nor  is  there  the  leaft  intimation  in  that  hillory  that  they 
have  fpirits  by  any  thing  then  produced.  They  were  of  the  earth 
earthy,  with  living  fouls,  and  fo  were  other  animals.  Eccl. 
iii.  18,  19,  20.  A  lexual  difference  in  fpirits,  and  their  union 
by  marriage,  and  propagation  of  their  fpecies  by  a  conjunft 
feminal  vital  principle,  are  all  unrational  and  unfcriptural,  and 
contiary  to  all  our  ideas  of  fpirits,  rendering  them  divifiblc 
and  corruptible,  and  material.  God  is  ever  reprefented  as  lbs 
Father  of  fpirits,  and  men  only  the  fathers  of  our  flefh.  And 
it  is  as  abfurd  to  fuppofe  the  latter  to  be  fathers  of  our  fpirits, 
as  it  would  be  to  fuppofa  the  former  to  be  the  father  of  our  fleih. 
Befides,  if  this  was  the  cafe,  the  unrcgeneratt  would  propagate 
the  unregenerate,  but  the  regenerate  would  propagate  regener- 
ate children,  becaufe  if  every  like  produces  its  like,  they  muft 
beget  fuch  as  are  like  themfelves  at  the  time  of  propagation. 
And  if  Adam  begat  Seth  in  his  own  likenefs  after  hij  regener- 
ation, he  was  an  holy  feed  like  to  Abel.  This  is  the  carnal 
hypothefis  of  Uuch  as  think  that  if  Adam  had  flood,  he  would 
have  conveyed  eternal  life  and  happinefs  to  all  his  pofterity 
by  natural  generation,  but  hnce  he  fell  he  conveys  I'piiitual  and 
eternal  death  to  them  as  their  federal  head  by  a  fpecial  confti- 
tution of  God.  This  confounds  the  births  of  bloods,  of  the 
will  of  the  fleih,  of  the  wiii  of  man  and  of  God.  God  could 
have  no  human  fons  or  daughters  but  through  the  will  of  man. 


jQ  or  THE  MOSAIC  CREATION, 

The  conflitution  of  God  reaches  to  only  animal  and  terreftria! 
things,  that  every  thing  fhould  produce  its  likcnefs. 

The  fecond  hypothcfis  concerning  human  fpirits  is  that  of 
their  fuccefiive  or  immediate  creation.  That  it  is  created  by 
infufion,  and  infufed  by  creation,  is  the  opinion  of  many,  as 
well  as  the  two  before  mentioned  Doftors. 

To  this  it  is  obje6led  that  neither  Adam's  fpirit  nor  Eve's 
were  made  in  the  fix  days  creation  :  but  if  they  were  God  did 
not  finidi  creation  in  the  fix  days,  but  is  continuing  it  ever 
iince,  without  any  account  of  its  beginning  in  them,  or  being 
continued  in  their  defcendants.  A  main  objeftion  to  this  is, 
that  it  doth  not  folve  the  difficulty  that  is  to  be  got  over,  even 
how  they  ctrae  to  be  now  loft.  For  they  mufi:  be  created 
;!pitk  or  without  original  right eoiifaefs» 

If  they  are  created  with  holinefs,  and  have  the  life  of  God, 
pr  the  divine  nature,  when  they  enter  thcfe  bodies,  why  arc 
they  fo  unequally  yoked  ?  why  have  they  not  fpiritual  bodies, 
and  a  celeftial  habitation  ?  and  why  arc  they  locally  fubjefted 
to  Satan,  the  g®d  of  this  world,  placed  in  his  territories  and 
hemath  him  ?  Thefe  are  queftions  that  have  not  beer,  and 
cannot  be  anfwered,  confident  with  the  goodnefs  and  even 
juftice  of  "God.  To  make  them  holy  and  expofe  them  as  they 
are  here,  for  nothing,  is  very  unlikely  He  would  do. 

But  if  they  are  now  created  without  original  rightcoufneisj 
or  God's  holy  image,  which  is  the  opinion  of  many,  it  muft 
be  in  a  ftate  between  holinefs  and  fin,  that  is  of  innocence,  or 
in  a  ftate  of  fin. 

The  former  of  thefe  fuppofxtions,  viz.  that  they  are  now 
created  innocent  when  they  enter  thefe  bodies,  hath  been 
proved  to  be  contrary  to  the  original  ftate  of  all  rationals,  as 
they  could  not  then  be  fit  fubjefts  of  God's  kingdom,  or  of 
fociety  with  him. 

The  more  ufual  and  general  opinion  among  th9  felf-reputec 


AND  OF  MAN.  7i 

firthodox  Is,  that  the  fouls  of  men  are  now  created  without 
fanftity,  in  a  ftate  of  fin  and  mifery.  They  fay  the  fin  of 
Adam  is  propagated  morally  by  imputajtion  :  that  he  was  a 
reprefentative  and  federal  Head  of  his  poflerity,  and  that  by 
his  fin  he  merited  for  all  his  offspring  the  deflitution  of  orig- 
inal righteoufncfs,  and  that  God,  in  creating  fpirits,  deprives 
them  of  it,  imputing  Adam's  fin  to  them,  which  deprivation 
is  on  God's  part  punifhmentj  and  on  their  part  fin  original, 
being  the  want  of  that  life  which  ought  to  be  in  every  foul, 
and  they  fuppofe  to  have  been  in  Adam's  foul. 

The  whole  of  this  fabric  is  bafelefs.  No  fuch  federal 
headfhip  ever  did  belong  to  Adam  :  and  no  fuch  imputation 
is  fcriptural  or  juft,  nor  was  Adam  cr:;ated  holy.  The  impu- 
tation of  one  man's  fin  and  virtue  to  another  is  no  doftrine  of 
fcripturc,  nor  is  it  agreeable  to  reafon,  nor  is  it  juft.  Adam 
was  only  the  natural  head  of  mefi,  L  Cor.  kv.  46.  and  there- 
fore none  but  natural  evils  defcend  to  his  pofterity  through  Iiis^ 
default.  That  he  ftiould  be  entrufted  with  the  fate  of  ail  fouls 
which  never  exifted  in  his  foul,  any  more  than  his  foul  exifted 
in  theirs,  is  abfurd  to  fuppofe  :  or  that  a  natural  animal  head 
fhould  be  conftituted  a  reprefentative  to  them  in  fpirituals  whea 
they  never  chofe  him,  be  made  finners  by  a  crime  they  did  not 
Commit,  never  confented  to,  are  forfy  for,  and  condemn,  and 
Wpuld  have  prevented  if  it  had  been  in  their  po'.ver,  are  fcnti- 
ments  fo  fhocking  and  abfurd  that  a  name  is  wanting  toexprefs' 
them  by.  But  what  is  worfl  of  all,  the  holy  God  is  brought; 
in  creating  fouls  gracelefs  and  children  of  the  devil,  to  incrcafe 
his  enemy's  fubjefts,  and  replenifh  his  empire  v.  irh  rebels,  and 
alfo  infilling  upon  them  the  dreadful  plagues  of  fpiritual 
bHndnefs,  pravity  and  death,  the  lofs  of  God,  and  heaven,  and 
fubjeftion  to  hell,  who  had  done  nothing  to  df;rfcrve  it,  and 
who  had  rather  have  their  fpiritua!  concerns  and  eternal  intfiefiis 
in  their  own  bands,  than  in  the  hznih  of  any  «recturc.     B/ 


72  OF  THE  MOSAIC  CREATION, 

this  Icheme  the  holy  God  is  made  the  author  of  fin  by  way  of 
phyfical  efficiency  :  For  if  the  queflion  is  afked,  how  came 
thefe  fouls  thus  marred  ?  the  anfwer  mufl  be,  God  made  them 
fo  ;  and  fin,  which  is  as  perfonal  as  identity  or  confcioufnefs,  is 
made  transferable  like  goods  and  chattels.  Faith  and  repent* 
ance,  ignorance  and  knowledge,  nriight  be  i-mputed  as  well  as 
fin,  when  they  are  inherent  in  one,  fo  as  to  belong  to  another. 
And  when  transferred,  not  adhere  to  the  firft,  but  cleave  to  the 
laft.  For  if  one's  fin  is  imputed  to  another,  he  himfelf  ought 
to  be  free,  becaufe  it  is  unjuft  that  the  fame  fm  fhould  be  ac- 
counted for  twice  by  two  different  perfons,  when  but  one  was 
the  committer,  and  the  other  had  not  made  it  his  own  by  any 
pad  aft  of  his.  What  one  hath  done  may  be  the  occafion  of 
a6lual  fm  in  another,  and  until  then  it  is  not  imputable^ 

The  third  way  of  accounting  for  the  deftitution  of  fpiritual 
light  and  life  in  the  fpirits  of  men,  as  now  coming  into  the 
world,  is  by  fuppofing  the  preexiflence  of  fouls,  and  their  lapfe 
from  original  fandity,  antecedent  to  their  partaking  of  flefk 
and  blood. 

This  was  the  mofl  ancient  and  generally  diffufed  hypothcfis 
in  ancient  times,  and  under  different  forms  and  with  fome  errors 
mixed  therewith,  was  aimoff  or  quite  univerfally  entertained. 
It  is  chiefly  tkrough  a  faulty  notion  of  it  that  many  moderns 
have  rejefted  it.  To  prevent  the  charge  of  novelty  many 
eminent  pagans,  jews,  and  chnffians,  might  be  produced,  and 
alfo  as  authorities,  if  there  was  any  authority  bcfides  reafon, 
fcripture,  common  fenfe,  and  the  analogy  of  things.  Pythagoras, 
Plato,  Ariflotle,  Trifmegift,  the  Egyptian  Gymnofophiffs,  the 
Ind'.an  Brachmins,  and  Perfian  Magi,  Eropedocles,  Cebes, 
Euripides,  Euclid,  Tally,  Virgil,  Hippocrates,  Galen  Fitti* 
nus,  Proclus,  Jamblichus,  Cardan,  Finelijs,  and  the  writef 
of  the  wifdom  of  Solomon,  with  the  generality  of  the  Jews* 
A^nd  among  chriftian  f4thers  are  Clement,  Origcn,  Arnobius, 


AND  OF  MAN.  73 

Prudentius,  Synefius,  Sec,  on  this  fide  of  the  queftion.  And 
rightly  ftated,  this  doftrine  appears  to  be  the  truth.  That  all 
Ipirits  were  produced  at  once,  all  with  original  righteoufnefs, 
each  independent  of  the  other,  that  heaven  was  their  native 
place,  the  holy,  fpiritual,  moral  law,  the  covenant  of  life 
between  God  and  them,  and  that  fome  angels,  and  all  that  order 
of  fpirits  called  human  fouls,  fell,  and  loft  the  divine  nature  in. 
which  they  exifted.  And  thefe  are  the  children  of  the  Father 
of  ipirits,  now  made  partakers  of  flefh  and  blood,  the  creature 
fubjeft  to  vanity  not  willingly,  by  God  in  hope  of  deliverance 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  by  the  renovation  and  redemp- 
tion of  Chrift,  who  came  to  feek  and  fave  v/hat  was  loft  :  This 
hypothefis  accounts  for  the  filence  of  fcripture  hiftory  con- 
cerning  the  creation  of  fpirils,  and  vindicates  the  charafter  of 
God,  and  the  faithfulnefs  of  Mofes  as  an  hiftorian  :  This  beft 
agrees  with  the  economy  of  Adam,  the  fpirits  and  bodies  of 
men  are  more  equally  yoked,  and  the  wifdom,  goodnefs  and 
even  grace  of  God,  are  hereby  moft  illuftrioufly  difplaycd.  It 
give^  usjuft  and  rational  ideas  of  the  original  creation  and 
kingdom  of  God  :  and  the  holy,  fpiritual,  moral  law,  hath  it^^ 
proper  place  as  once  a  covenant  of  life  between  God  and 
rationals,  which  it  never  was  in  this  world.  It  accounts  for 
the  foreordi nation  of  Chrift  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
and  our  being  chofen  in  him  from  that  time.  It  rationally 
accounts  for  all  fymbols,  figures  and  types  of  Chrift,  and 
heavenly  things  in  the  paradifaical  economy  ;  and  even  for 
the  whole  Mofaic  creation  itfelf  as  a  figure  of  the  new  creation 
©f  God,  Every  thing  in  that  creation  is  terreftrial  and  ani* 
mal,  formed  out  of  preexiftent  materials  in  a  chaotic  ftate. 
'*rhe  fhining  of  the  light  out  of  darknefs  typifies  Chrift's  fhining  "• 
as  the  light  of  the  world,  in  the  darknefs  of  man's  unregeneracy, 
and  the  darknefs  comprehending  it  not.  Thc/uniefs  day  light 
before  the  appearance  of  the  natural  fun,    fitly  reprefents  the 

K 


74  OF  THE  MOSAIC  CREATION, 

obfcurity  of  old  teftament  times  as  to  fpiritual  light,  till  ChriH 
the  fun  of  righteoufnefs  arofe ;  as  that  light  came  from  the  fun 
not  yet  fmning  through  the  chaos,  fo  alfo  all  the  fpiritual  light 
of  men  there  proceeded  from  Chrift  the  true  light,  as  to  come. 
This  alio  accounts  for  the  priority  of  darknefs  to  light,  the 
cjriflence  of  natural  evil  in  the  Mofaic  creation,  the  difference 
between  the  kinds  of  beads  and  plants,  evil  and  good,  poifonous 
and  falutary.  The  figures  and  adumbrations  in  paradife  look 
backward  and  forward,  the  earthly  paradife  itfelf  figured  the 
paradife  above  that  had  been  loft,  and  that  to  come  which 
Chrift  reflores  to  :  man's  innocence  was  a  figure  of  original 
righteoufnefs  loft,  and  of  renewed  holinefs  to  be  expe£led. 
The  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  adumbrates  the 
original  fin  of  rationals  and  its  bitter  fruits,  as  the  tree  of  life 
doth  that  life  of  God  fouls  were  alienated  from,  and  its  reftora- 
tion  by  Chrift,  whft  came  that  we  might  have  life,  Thefe  and 
many  more  correfpondences  are  not  accidental  but  defigned, 
not  unmeaning  but  inftru6live.  Plere  we  fee  how  mare  is 
gained  by  Chrift  than  was  loft  by  Adam  :  and  where  the 
prodigal  was  before  his  return,  what  occafioned  his  return, 
even  his  uncomfortable  fituation  in  a  ftrange  land,  the  citizen 
he  was  joined  to,  even  the  god  of  this  world,  and  that  his 
return  is  not  to  Adam's  paradife,  but  to  God  and  heaven. 
Here  the  loft  fheep  was  in  the  fold  of  God  before  it  ftrayed, 
and  not  in  Adam's  paradife,  which  was  no  place  of  fecuiity 
from  the  jaws  of  the  roaring  lion,  or  the  wiles  of  the  fubtle 
icrpent.  This  World  never  was  defigned  as  a  habitation  foi 
holy  riitionals,  but  for  the  trial  of  fuch  lapfed  rationals  as  we 
are.  It  is  now,  and  was  from  the  beginning  Satan's  territory  ; 
'  within  its  boundaries  is  all  the  hell  that  ever  was  or  will  be. 
II.  Pet.  ill.  -y.  Here  fouls  are  in  exile  and  banifhment,  as 
.-appears  from  the  common  language  of  mankind,  even  when  the 
fpeakers   think   or    mean  not  fo.      Ws  find  it  in  authors   thaS 


AND  OF  MAN.  ^^ 

heaven  is  our  native  place,  that  good  men  at  death  go  home, 
ice.  Divines  have  attributed  a  heavenly,  fpiritual,  holy  con- 
dition to  Adam,  tnd  have  fuppofed  he  fell  from  fuch  a  ftite, 
which  his  earthly  paradife  by  no  means  was.  Sober  perfons 
have  thought  fouls  heaven  born,  that  their  cognation  and 
affinity  is  with  things  fupernal,  and  certainly  they  once  dwelt 
with  their  kindred  things.  And  as  to  fcripture  proof  of  this 
doftrine,  beiides  what  hath  been  advanced,  ueread  of  morning 
ftars  and  fons  of  God,  joyful  and  tuneful  fpe£lators  of  this 
world's  creation  :  Job  xxxviii.  7.  And  thefe  fons  are  no 
doubt  the  children  partakers  of  flefh  and  blood,  Heb,  ii,  14. 
for  flefh  and  blood  doth  not  conftitute  them  the  offspring  or 
children  of  God,  but  ranks  them  with  beafts.  Ecclef,  iii.  18, 
19,  20.  Rom.  viii.  19,  20,  &c.  It  appears  the  difciples 
were  of  this  opinion  in  their  queftion,  *'  Who  did  fin,  this 
man  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  blind  ?"  And  our 
Savior's  anfwer  denies  not  his  preexiftence,  but  corre6ls  an 
error  too  commonly  entertained,  that  fins  in  a  former  ftate 
were  the  caufes  of  his  blindnefs  in  this.  John  ix.  3.  The 
truth  is  they  are  fent  here  not  to  punifli  but  reflore  them. 
We  are  fubjeft  to  more  evils  than  can  be  accounted  for  by  the 
lapfeof  Adam.  Divines  hav^  tried  long  enough  to  effeft  this 
with  their  irrational  and  unfcriptural  fchemes.  The  little 
frivolous  objections,  that  none  remember  ^heir  lapfe  or  exift- 
cnce  in  their  prior  flate,  that  it  is  unjufl:  to  punifh  us  for  what 
we  are  not  confcious  of.  &c.  operate  as  flrongly  again  ft  any 
punifliment  for  Adam's  fin.  But  men  do  fufier  for  what  they 
do  not  remember,  as  natural  and  temporal  evils  for  Adam's  fin. 
When  any  fuffcr  in  a  courft  of  lazo^  the  crime  mud-  be  noticed,  \ 
evidence  produced,  and  they  will  be  confcious  of  it,  if  guilty  ; 
but  the  cafe  is  otherwife  when  they  are  punifhed  in  m.  courfc* 
of  nature.  We  are  not  fent  here  to  punifh  us  temporally  for 
Adam's  fin,  yet  we  fuffcr  the  confequences  of  that^  and  of  th^ 


76         OF  THE  NATURAL  STATE  OF  MAN. 

lofs  of  original  righteoufnefs,  and  will  forever  fuffer  them  until 
renewed  and  reftored  by  Chrift^  The  want  of  holinefs  is  zh 
incapacity  for  heaven,  and  it  is  better  to  fuppofe  it  comes  by 
our  own  fault  than  to  attribute  it  to  our  Maker  or  to  Adam. 
There  are  many  manlions  in  God's  creation  where  thefe  fpirits 
may  be  new  exifling,  and  fuffering  the  natural  confequences 
of  their  prefent  lofs,  waiting  their  turns  to  enter  bodies  of  flefii 
and  blood  fitted  for  them  to  take  their  trial  in,  according  to  the 
prefent  benevolent  conftitution  of  God,  We  know  not  how 
feparate  fpirits  act,  remember  or  are  confcious,  yet  the  penal 
evils  we  now  fuffer,  infer  more  criminal  evils  than  can  be 
accounted  for  by  the  lapfe  of  the  earthy  Adam,  and  fo  ferve 
to  confirm  the  above  hypothefis.  As  it  is,  every  one  is  left 
to  judge  for  himfelf,  and  to  be  fully  perfuaded  in  his  own  mind 
God's  prefent  kingdom  of  heaven  is  new  and  mediatorial,  there 
mufl:  have  been  an  original  kingdom  prior  to  this.  And  as 
Chrift  is  come  to  re/lore  all  things,  and  we  are  reflorcd  to 
nothing  in  Adam,  it  muft  be  to  fomething  prior  to  him,  and 
therefore  the  Mofaic  creation  was  not  the  firft  creation  of 
God.  ' 

From  the  premifes  in  this  chapftr  may  ba  inferred  the 
prefent  natural  flate  of  man,  which  is  his  heathen  (Mat.  xviix, 
i-y.)  condition,  into  which  the  lapfe  of  fouls  and  the  lapfc  of 
Adam  in  conjunftion  have  plunged  him. 

J.  It  involves  in  it  ignorance  of  God  in  his  true  charafter. 
The  unregenerate  and  regenerate  have  not  fpecijically   the 
fame  God,    any  more  than  jews  and  chriftians   have  the  fame 
MeiTiah,  or  mahometans  and  chriftians  the  fame  paradife,  &c. 

2.  Men  are  naturally  without  God  in  the  world.  Eph.  ir, 
12.  The  befl  among  heathen  were  only  human  moralifls,  and 
the  worfl  diabollfls.      I.  Cor.  x,  20. 

3.  Men  naturally  are  carnal  in  a  ftatc  of  death.  John  iii. 
6.  Rom.  viii.  6.     They  derive  in  the  courfe  of  nature  a  body 


OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM.       77 

of  Jin  and  death  from  the  firft  Adam,  called  z\{o  Jinjul  fitfh  : 
which  is  a  vital  nature  ipontanecusly  parturient  of  fin,  in 
which  no  good  dwdltth.  Rom,  vii.  18. 

This  death  in  treffpafles  and  fins  is  a  deflitution  of  and 
alienation  from  the  life  of  God,  and  a  fubjeftion  to  fuch  evils 
as  are  death  to  the  fpiritual  life  of  the  foul.  Natural  death 
•nly  comes  by  Adam,  fpiritual  death  is  the  foul's  lofs  of  the 
divine  nature  :  the  fecond  death  comes  for  reje6ling  the  fecond 
Adam,  Men  are  reprefented  as  dead  when  the  gofpel  is  firfl 
preached  to  them,  that  they  may  h^ judged,  lufier  mortification. 
and  a  death  to  fin,  according  to  men  in  flejh.  but  live  according  to 
Godinfpirit.  I,  Pet.  iv,  i,  to  comp.  Rom.  vi.  i,  2.  Thus 
we  are  to  underftand  Chrijt's  being  put  to  death  in  Jlcpi,  hut 
^juickened  in  fpirit,  &c,  L  Pet.  iii.  18,  19,  20.  After  Chrifl's 
fuffering  in  flefh,  and  refurreftion  by  the  fpirit,  by  his  fpirit 
in  the  Apoftles,  he  went  ^nA  preached  to  fpirits  in  prifon,  &c. 
Eph.  ii.  17  :  that  is  fouls  in  the  prifons  of  thefe  bodies,  dsfti- 
tute  of  fpiritual  life.  The  wicked  when  naturally  dead  are 
Ipirits  in  prifon.  Mat.  xviii.  30.  And  the  dead  in  fins  are  cap- 
tives in /^rz/cm  alfo.  Ifa.  Ixi.  1.  Luke  iv.  18.  Thefe  were 
fometime  difobedient  as  they  were  to  whom  Noah  preached. 
The  preaching  of  Chrift  being  after  his  refurreftion,  not  in 
his  own  perfon,  but  by  his  fpirit  in  the  apoflles,  it  def>roys 
the  falfe  glofTes  that  have  been  put  upon  this  text.  The  dead 
in  fin,  do  things  worthy  of  death,  are  fervants  of  fin  unto 
death,  and  fhal)  die.  They  bring  forth  fruit  unto  death  : 
and  as  the  wages  of  fin  is  death,  they  muft  be  put  to  death, 
the  law  and  fin  reign  over  them  to  death,  and  the  devil  al(o  who 
hath  the  power  of  death.  Rom.  i.  32.  vi.  6.  vii.  5.  viii.  13. 
John  iii,  36. 

4.  Men  in  their  now  natural  eftate  arc  in  darknefs  under 
the  power  of  Satan.  A£ls  xxvi.  18. 

As  the    knowledge  of  true   religion  depends  much   upon 


,78      OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM. 

Jcnowing  Satan's  kingdom  of  evil,  and  common  fyftems  take 
little  or  no  notice  of  it,  it  fiiall  be  defcribed  in  its  head,  polity, 
fubjefts  and  territory. 

That  there  is  fuch  a  being  as  we  call  Satan  or  the  Devil,  not 
originally  fo  but  now  fo  by  his  abufe  of  liberty,  and  who  is  an  ad- 
verfary  to  God  and  foe  to  man,  and  who  hath  numerous  fubje6ls 
among  thofb  of  his  own  order,  and  alfo  among  men,  the  exift- 
encc  of  moral  evil  in  the  world  proves  :  for  evil  of  this  kind 
Bjuft  have  a  caufe  and  author,  which  God  cannot  be,  as  it  is 
dire£lly  repugnant  to  his  nature  as  the  Holy  One,  Chriftianity 
affirms  a  God  of  this  world  as  well  as  a  God  of  heaven  ;  the 
laft  exifts  neceffarily,  the  former  as  he  is  now  by  defeftion 
and  felf  creation,  and  reigns  by  ufurpation^  pot  without  the 
permiffion  or  fubjeftion  to  the  control  of  the  God  of  Gods. 
Satan,  as  god  of  this  world,  is  prince  of  other  devils,  and  is 
denominated  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  and  ruler  of  the 
darknefs  of  this  world  :  placed  from  the  beginning  in  an  aerial 
heavenly  fituation  above  and  over  men.  They  have  acquired 
a  ftate  of  fovereignty  over  the  ungodly,  and  as  one  mighty 
fpirit  work  energetically  in  the  children  of  difobedience. 
Eph.  ii.  2.  Their  fuperior  ftate  to  men,  their  fpiritual  nature, 
exaft  order,  great  flrength,  refined  policy,  long  experience 
and  indefatigable  diligence,  render  them  more  than  a  match  for 
men,  and  they  would  domineer  over  them  at  their  pleafure,  if 
th»y  were  not  controled. 

An  ineligious  empire  was  and  is  the  DeviPs  defign  and  in- 
toreft,  and  through  the  influence  of  error,  falfhood  and  wick- 
ednefs  he  maintains  a  cruel  defpotifm  over  his  vafTals  ;  with 
the  world  and  men's  lufls  on  his  fide  he  works  efRcacioufly,  and 
with  flrong  delufions  carrying  captive  at  his  will.  Sometimes 
he  a£ls  the  f«rpent,  and  fometimes  the  lion,  or  the  bloody 
dragon,  but  always  the  adverfary  and  deflroyer.  Thus  the 
whole  world  hath  been  deceived,  and'brought  to  lye  in  wick,e4T 


OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM.     7^ 

ticfs.  The  bloody  dragon,  the  pagan  roman  beaft,  makes  the 
panther-like  papal  bead  his  fucceffor,  and  gives  him  his  power 
and  great  authority.  Rev.  xiii.  2. 

1.  The  fubjeftion  of  the  world  of  men  to  Satan  tniy  be 
confidered  as  penal. 

He  hath  the  power  of  death  Heb.  if.  14.  accruing  to  hirri 
by  the  law  through  man's  fin,  and  it  is  fo  far  legal,  as  the  law 
commits  Tinners  into  his  hands,  confidered  as  executioner  of  th^ 
divine  juflice.  That  men  have  been  fubjefl  to  diabolical 
poflefiions  and  infeftations  is  plain  from  fcripture.  Demons 
are  of  different  forts  fitted  to  different  employments  ;  fomd 
draw  evil  fpirits  to  affociate  with  them,  and  they  enter  them 
as  naturally  as  infeftion  doth  people  in  peffilential  times,  pre- 
difpofed  to  catch  the  contagion.  Diabolical  poffeflions  srt 
liable  to  wilful  impofture,  or  innocent  miftake,  yet  the  reality 
ef  them  cannot  be  denied  :  they  prevailed  much  in  Chrid's 
time.  Some  not  fuperftitious  have  attributed  iome  difeafes, 
efpecially  a  kind  of  epilepfy  and  feverai  kinds  of  maiiianifiTj  to 
the  oppression  of  the  devil,  A£ls,  lo.  38. 

2.  Mankind  are  naturally  under  Satan's  povver  by  way  of 
criminal  fubjeftion. 

Wicked  men  no  more  live  out  of  fociety  with  the  invifibl%  ' 
world  than  holy  men  do  :  there  is  the  communion  of  devils  as 
well  as  of  faints.  The  wicked  or  evil  one  is  the  immoral  father 
of  all  of  that  chara<?ler.  They  have  turned  afide  after  Satan. 
I.  Tim.  V.  15.  He  firft  founded  the  trump  of  rebellion  and 
they  have  joined  his  ftandard.  He  rules  the  men  and  nations 
who  dohis  wi]l  :  his  empire  is  commenfurate  with  the  reigu 
of  fin,  and  no  lefs  invincible.  Where  wickednefa  prevails,  is 
hh feat,  throne  and  refidence.  Rev,  ii.  13.  The  whole  \vv\\d 
without  the  church  lietk  in  him.  I.  John,  v.  ig.  He  oper.itvs 
in  the  children  of  difobedience  by  infpiiation,  aiTiationj  inter- 
jr»al  motions,  perfuafion  and  fuggertion  :  and  they  are  mfere  ci: 


8o     OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM. 

lefs  adluated  by  an  evil  ipirit,  who  blinds  their  minds  flirs  up 
their  appetites,  inflames  their  paffions  and  drives  them  into 
unckednefs.  II.  Pet.  ii.  19.  As  Tubal  Cain  was  the  father  of 
them  who  handle  the  harp  and  organ ,  fo  is  the  devil  the  father 
of  fmners,  the  inventer  of  their  trade  which  is  diabolifviy  I,  John 
iii.  8.  and  fome  are  called  by  his  name,  John,  vi.  '70, 

3.  The  whole  world  without  the  church  hath  been,  and  flili 
is  under  Satan's  domination  by  way  of  criminal  religious 
fubje£lion. 

Every  fpecies  of  falfe  religion  is  in  a  degree  Satanical,  In 
religion  men  have  fought  out  many  inventions,  not  without 
the  devil's  aid,  and  influence,  as  thQ  kinds  of  religion  they  have 
invented  demonftrate.  Some  modern  deniers  of  revelation 
have  attributed  thefe  impofitions  to  prieftcraft^  taking  advantage 
of  the  cAy  credulity  of  the  vulgar  to  lead  them  afide  :  but 
thefe  vulgar  fhall  be  proved  to  have  been  the  greatefl;  fages  of 
antiquity.  The  religioins  which  have  prevailed  in  the  world 
befides  God's  true  religion,  v^cie.  deml's craft,  and  fure  evidences 
of  his  godfhip  over  this  world.  No  other  religion  than 
this  ever  did  prevail  in  the  world  without  the  church  of  God, 
All  in  falfe  rcligiohs  is  not  clear  diabolifm,  yet  his  foot  mark  is 
plainly  feen  in  them. 

1.  In  the  fpecific  nature  and  chara6ler  of  the  fupreme  and 
fubordinate  deities  of^  worldly  religions,  there  is  a  proof  of 
Satan's  godflilp  over  this  world.  The  heathen,  according  to 
Varro,  had  three  hundred  Jupiters,  and  each  of  thefe  had  a 
religion  according  to  his  kind.  None  of  thefe  was  the  true 
God,  but  their  real  Jove  was  the  devil,  and  their  fubordinate 
deities  were,  as  Celfus  calls  them,  aerial  and  ttrrtjlrial  grtat 
ruUrs,  the  fame  with  the  principalitiei  and  powers  of  ths 
,  kingdom  of  darknefs.  As  devils  were  the  objcfl;s  of  the 
woiTnip  of  the  idolatrous  jezus,  Levit.  xvii.  7.  Deut.  xxxvii, 
J  7.  Pf.  xcvi.  5.  feptuagint.  much  more  of  the  heathen.    Their 


OF  THE  DEVIL^s  WORLDLY  KINGDOM,       81 

loftiines,  cups,  altars,  libations,  and  priefls,  were  of  devils^ 
1,  Cor.  X.  21.  The  immortal  gods  that  Cicero  fo  oftcn^ 
invokes  were  devils,  and  fo  were  all  the  deities  of  Rome  pagan. 
And  nothing  was  fo  intolerable  to  thefe  deities  as  God's  religion. 
The  initiated  by  baptifm  were  made  to  renounce  the  prince  of 
this  world f  his  pomps  and  vices,  &c. 

2.  Another  evidence  of  Satan's  godlhip  over  this  world  is 
the  mighty  veneration  all  but  God's  religionifts  have  had  for 
Jerpents. 

Not  man's  natural  antipathy  to  ferpents,  nor  the  noxious 
venenate  qualities  of  that  reptile,  ever  retrained  any  nation  in 
ancient  times,  excepting  the  Jews,  from  worfhipping  of  the 
ferpent  and  reputing  it  facred.  The  Indians,  Egyptians,  Baby- 
lonians, &c.  were  all  from  time  immemorial  ferpent  worihippers* 
The  Chinefe,  Ethiopians  and  Americans  ftill  worfhip  him<. 
When  Adrian  built  a  temple  to  Jupiter  at  Athens,  the  Sebafma 
or  deity  he  put  into  it  was  a  ferpent  brought  out  of  India.  A 
ferpent  was  the  (ymbol  of  the  Egyptian  Serapis  :  the  initiated 
into  the  Sabazian  Sacra,  had  a  golden  ferpent  put  into  their 
bofom.  Herodotus  mentions  facred  ferpents  about  Thebes^ 
which  dying  were  buried  in  their  father  Jupiter's  temple.  A 
live  ferpent  was  the  fymbol  of  Efculapius :  when  a  pefliience 
raged  at  Rome  a  folemn  ertibalTy  was  fent  to  Epidaurus  for  the 
fymbol  of  Efculapius,  when  a  ferpent  came,  and  St.  Auguftinc 
faith  the  devil  was  tranfported  to  Rome  in  his  own  fhape.  A 
Tci-pent  was  kept  in  Minerva's  temple,  and  when  that  was  gons 
the  Athenians  thought  their  goddefs  was  departed.  A  dragon. 
kept  the  Athenian  fortrefs,  and  the  fiiandard  bearers  were  called 
draconariiy  from  whence  the  Englilh  dragoon  is  derived., 
The  devil  was  well  known  in  the  learned,  polite,  philofophic 
©ity  of  Athens,  where  the  true  God  was  unknown,  Apollo 
the  Apollyon  of  fcripture  was  called  Pythius,  from  Pethon  a 
ferpent.     In  ganeral,  among  the  heathen,   unclean  bsails  znd 

L 


82       OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM. 

birds  and  fuch  as  lived  on  prey  were  facred  to  their  deities, 
which  is  a  fure  evidence  of  their  being  reh'gionifts  of  an  evil 
and  unclean  fpirit, 

3.  Human  facrifices  and  the  bloody  rites  of  heathenifm  are  a 
farther  evidence  of  Satan's  godfhip  over  this  world. 

Ail,  whofe  religion  admits  of  thefe  barbarous  rites,  are  the 
religionifts  of  that  murderer  from  the  beginning.  A  mighty 
rield  of  {laughter  here  opens,  and  an  appearance  not  to  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  common  principles  of  humanity.  Even 
animal  facrifices,  to  expiate  fin,  originated  not  from  nature,  but 
from  divine  revelation,  inftituted  to  prefigure  the  facrifice  of  the 
Meffiah.  But  the  facrificing  feiloiv  beings,  and  giving  the 
fruits  of  their  bodies  for  the  fin  of  tkeir  fouls  is  the  devil's 
inftitution. 

Plutarch  tells  us  that  they  offered  humaa  facrifices  to  appeaHi 
the  anger  •f  direful  demons.  If  prieftcraft  invented  and  fup- 
poried  this  cuflom,  their  genius  and  influence  was  fuperior 
to  what  it  is  in  modern  times.  For  if  thofe  were  times  of  ig- 
norance when  the  cuflom  was  introduced,  it  affefted  priefls 
as  Kiuch  as  others  :  and  the  moft  enlightened  and  philofophie 
pagans  pra6lifed  it.  The  faft  v/ill  not  be  denied  that  the  Ca- 
naanites  and  tl;e  Carthagenians  their  defcendants  facrificed  their 
own  children,  and  fuch  as  had  none  bought  them  for  the  pur- 
pofe,  and  their  mothers  ftood  by  to  behold  the  tragedy,  and  if 
they  cried  or  fighcd  while  it  was  ading,  they  lofl  their  price, 
but  the  child  was  not  fpared.  Pipes  and  drums  were  ufed  to 
drown  the  infants'  ihrieks,  and  the  valley  of  tophet  had  its 
name  from  a  tabret  or  drum  thus  ufed.  The  fpread  of  this 
barbarous  praftice  in  the  four  parts  of  the  world  fiiows  the 
extent  of  the  devil's  godfnip.  In  America  at  a  certairj 
folemnity  they  facrificed  two  hundred  young  children  at  once, 
and  many  thoulands  yearly.  Their  dark  houfes,  full  of  idols, 
were  bathed  in  tkc  blood  of  men,  as  Purchas  iaforms.     Noiw 


OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM.      5^ 

but  priefts  or  great  perfonages  entered  thefe  flaugliter-houfcs  of 
Apollyon,  and  when  they  entered  a  man  was  flair,  for  the 
priefts  to  wafh  their  hands  in,  and  fprinkle  the  houfe  with  tl-.e 
blood  of  the  viflim.  Aridhomines  MelTenius  facrificed  three 
hundred  men  at  once  to  Jove.  Surely  this  was  the  Jove 
adored  by  the  favage,  not  the  faint.  Here  might  be  added 
their  bloody  rites,  the  initiation  into  the  rayflcrics  of  Mithras 
by  fourfcore  torments,  their  cutting  themfclves  with  knives, 
the  fpeftacles  of  the  gladiators,    Sec, 

4.  The  forcery,  wizzardifm   and  magic  of  the  heathen  prove 
Satan's  godfnip  over  this  world. 

The  magicians  of  Egypt  are  well  known  ;  that  fuch  dia- 
bolical arts  exifted,  not  only  fcriptuie,  but  all  heathen  anti- 
quity, and  the  laws  of  the  beft  regulated  ftates  proves.  Va- 
rious kinds  of  forcery  were  forbid  the  Jews,  Exod.  ix.  ii. 
Deut.  xviii.  19,  and  they  continued  after  the  rile  of  chril- 
tianity.  Rev.  ix.  21.  Simon  Magus,  ApoUonius,  Typneus, 
and  Julicsa  the  apoftate  were  magicians.  Pliny  owns^that  raagic 
prevailed  through  the  world,  was  a  fcience  reputed  facred,  and 
was  the  furamity  of  learning.  It  was  the  wifdom  of  the 
jorientals,  and  fpread  even  to  Britain,  and  was  taught  in  Egypt 
as  facerdotal  learning.  A  familiar  fpirit  is  ob  in  Hebrew,  be- 
caufe  the  anfwer  was  like  one  fpeaking  out  of  the  belly  in  a 
low  hollow  tone,  by  peeping  and  muttering.  lis.  xxix.  4.  and 
viii.  19.  Acls^  xvi.  6,  The  con'fuiters  of  Teraphion  and 
necromancers  were  anf'.vsred.  Ifa.  Ixv.  4.  liofea,  iv.  12. 
Ezek.  xxi.  21.  The  heathen  had  prophets  who  fpake  by 
diabolical  infpiiation,  and  predifted  events.  Titus,  i.  12. 
Sorcery  and  magic  prevailed  aniong  jews  and  chridians,  A6ts, 
xiii,  6,  8.  and  much  of  popery  con fiQs  hi  it  ;  their  exorcifrrs, 
crucifixes,  beads,  holy  waters,  &c.  are  of  this  kind.  This 
may  be  called  the  heathen  world's  attedation  to  the  truth  oP 
the  fcriptures,  and  to  one   half  of  the  chridian  reH^ign,  even 


84      OF  THE  DZVlVs  WORLDLY  KINGDOM, 

the  account  it  gives  of  the  devil's  worldly  kingdom,  and  oF 
man's  religious  fubjeftion  to  him.  The  moft  phiiofophic  and 
bcil  moral  pagans  were  magicians  or  addifted  that  way.     Mar- 

TV 

cus  Antonius,  Orpheus^  Zoroafter,  Pythagoras,  EpimenideSj 
Zara^Ixis,  and  even  Socrates  and  Plato.  To  thefe  may  be 
added,  as  of  the  magical  kind,  Porphyry,  Jamblichus,  Celfus, 
Plifftinus,  Cicero,  Seneca  and  Epicletus,  Lord  Shaftlbury 
dilcovers  a  fuperPatious,  magical  turn  in  the  reafon  he  give§ 
for  publifliing  his  works*— -Leland^s  view  of  Deifl  Writers, 

5.  The  oracles  and  miracles   in   beathenifm  are  a  farthar 
evidence  of  Satan's  worldly  godfhip. 

For  after  all  due  allowance  is  made  for  fraud,  and  credulity, 
there  was  much  of  reality  in  both  of  them  ;  for  to  fuppofe  all 
^heir  oracles  and  miracles  were  counterfeits  reflefts  hard  upon  the 
learned  pagans,  contradifts  the  fcripture  and  the  faith  of  God's 
church.  The  heathen  Teraphim,  which  word  occurs  fifteen 
times  in  fcripture,  were  oracular,  anfwering  to  the  holy  Urim 
and  Thilmmira.  2^ech.  x,  2,  Their  idols  fpake  or  the  devil 
in  them  ;  one  idol  is  called  Nebo  as  being  prophetic  :  and  by 
thtm  doElrines  of  dtviU  were  dehvered,  L  Tim.  iv.  1.  As  th^ 
jewifh  religion  was  not  cf  their  own  devifing,  but  of  God's  ; 
fo  the  Devil  invented  the  pagan's  religion  to  ape  God,  Initial 
judaifm  was  from  the  firft  facnfice  'by  divine  inflitution,  old 
gentilifm  was  that  judaifm  corrupted  by  a  mixture  of  the  devil's 
inititutes  with  the  revelation  given  to  Adam  and  Noah  the 
heads  of  two  worlds,  when  revelation  was  twice  univerfal. 
There  never  v/as  any  nation  or  people  who  had  any  religion, 
and  all  have  had  fome,  but  they  derived  it  from  a  real  or  fup- 
pofed  revelation,  Mofaic  judaifm  is  oppofed  to  what  exifted 
in  paganifm,  and  was  corrupt.  Jewifh  priefts  and  prophets 
anfwer  to  the  like  among  pagans,  and  their  oracles  alfo  anfwer 
to  each  other.  Deut.  xviii.  9,  12,  15.  The  wifefl  heathen 
had   a  high  veneration   for  their  oracles  :  (orae  priefls   wsr^ 


OF  THE  DEVIL'S  WORLDLY  KINGDOM.      8^ 

perfonal  oracles,  who  confulted  the  devil  and  gave  anfwers 
fro{i&  him.  Barjefus  was  the  devil's  prophet,  called  Elytnas  in 
Syriac,  which  is  the  fon  of  a  fccret,  A6ls  xiii.  6.  xvi.  16. 
The  local  oracles  of  the  heathen  are  well  known. 

And  as  to  miracles  we  have  fcripture  proof  of  tbefe  among 
pagans  in  the  magicians  of  Egypt,  and  we  read  of  Ipirits  of 
devils  working  miracles,  which  were  no  doubt  real.  Rev.  x^i. 
14.  Deut.  xiii.  a,  2.  Celfus  and  Plutarch  have  written  much 
in  favor  of  heathen  oracles  and  miracles.  Without  them  Satan 
never  could  have  eftablilhed  and  Maintained  the  heathen  religion. 
Never  would  they  have  worfhlpped  feipents,  and  offered  up 
buraan  facrifices  contrary  to  the  infl:in£ls  of  nature  without 
oracles  requiring  them.  The  Mexican  priefts,  by  the  devil  s 
fuggeftfon,  tell  their  kings  that  their  gods  died  of  hunger,  and 
then  they  affembled  their  armies  to  war,  tofurnifli  their  bloody 
altars.  Satan  ufed  much  art  and  policy  to  bring  them  into  thefe 
praftices,  by  oracles,  divinations,  prodigies  and  lying  wonders  ; 
and,  as  they  did  not  like  to  receive  the  love  of  the  truth,  or  to 
retain  God  in  (heir  knowledge,  he  gave  them  over  to  ftrong  delu^ 
|ions  to  believe  lies.   IL  Thef,  ii.  9.  Rev.xviii.  1 2.  Afts  viii,  10. 

The  ftrange  fpurious  fanftity  in  the  heathen  worfhip  is 
another  proof  of  the  Devil's  wcrldly  godfliip.  He  always 
3ffe£led  unnatural  mixtures  and  combinations,  forbidden  the 
jews,  but  prevalent  among  heathen.  Deut.  xxii.  10.,  Lev. 
xix.  19.  and  xxi.  19.  They  had  their  holinefs  of  unclean- 
nefs,  fanftity  of  fodomy  and  beftiality  :  in  the  temple  of  the 
Corinthian  Venus  dwelt  thoufands  of  facred  harlots,  and  men 
and  women  changed  clothes  for  unnatural  mixtures.  Dear. 
^xii.  ^.  All  this  proves  heathenifm  to  be  the  inflitution  of 
an  unclean  fpirit. 

Another  proof  of  Satan's  godfhip  over  this  world  may  be 
|aken  from  the  chara£ler  of  the  Romin  empire  a  main  pillar 
f>f  his  kingdoS3» 


86  THE  PRESENT  LEGAL 

That  empire,  as  infligated  by  the  devil,  managed  a  long  and 
bloody  war  againft  God,  Chrift,  and  chriftianity,  in  favor  of 
the  heathen  gods  and  religion.  The  tragical  perfecutions  and 
fufierings  of  chriftians,  by  racks^  crcffes,  wheels,  gridirons, 
red  hot  iron  chairs,  brazen  bulls,  ungulas,  and  wild  beads, 
Tiiew  that  Abaddon  was  the  a6luator<.  As  the  divine  fpirit 
fupported  chriftlans,  fo  an  evil  fpirit  aftuated  them.  The 
conteft  was  between  Chrift  and  the  god  of  this  world  in  their 
followers.  Eph.  vi.  12.  L  John  iv.  4.  In  TurtuUian's  apology 
we  have  this  noble  challenge  made  :  "  If  God  will  have  us 
combat  again  for  piety,  let  our  antagonifts  come,  through  Chrift 
ftrengthening  us,  we  can  do  all  things^  let  the  ungulas  dig  us, 
beafts  leap  upon  us,  the  crofTes  hang  us,  the  fire  burn  us,  the 
fword  cut  our  throats,  we  are  prepared  for  all  torments." 
Papal  Rome  hath  equalled  pagan,  in  its  cruel  meafures  to 
fupport  the  devil's  worldly  empire.  Satan  ftill  retains  his 
godfhip  over  this  world  without  the  church.  To  be  in  the 
world  as  mere  citizens  of  it,  is  to  be  of  his  kingdomc  Mat. 
xviii.  17.      Afts  xxvi.  18.      Eph.  ii.  12. 

From  the  holy  fpiritual  moral  law's  being  the  conjtitution  of 
God's  original  kingdom^  may  be  injerred  the  prefent  legal  condition 
oj mankind,  . 

This  royal  law,  which  exprefleth  the  divine  nature,  was  a 
covenant  of  life  between  God  and  unlapfed  rationals,  who 
were  originally  created  in  conformity  to  the  fanftity  it  recjuires. 
It  was  ordciined  to  continue  fpiritual  and  eternal  life  while 
obeyed  ;  and  fettled  the  rights  and  dues  between  God  and  his 
fubjefls  according  to  legal  juflice  :  if  peifeftly  obeyed,  it 
rendered  the  reward,  that  is  the  continuance  of  life,  of  debt  ; 
but  if  tranTgreffed,  fubjefted  to  fpiritual  and  eternal  death 
according  to  the  fame  meafure.  In  the  truth  of  this  devils 
did  not  abide  ;  and  the  human  fpccies  are  all  alienated  from  the 
life  of  God  it  requires,  and  are  therefore  dead  in  law  and  under 


CONDITION  OF  MANKIND.  8y 

the  condemnation  of  it  unto  death.  The  natural  legal  condi- 
tion  of  roan  is  that  of  guilty  ungodly  tranrgrefTors,  as  they  want 
conformity  to  the  law,  and  are  partakers  of  flefh  and  blood,  in 
which  nothing  fpiritually  good  dwells,  and  are  alfo  fubjeft  to 
the  reign  of  concupifcence  and  a  prevalent  tendency  to  fin. 

Men's  reafon  is  weak,  their  paflions  are  ftrong,  andtheir 
experience  none,  prior  to  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  antl 
having  no  holy  principle,  fin  reigns  in  all  by  nature.  Men 
are  born  into  a  ftate,  and  with  fuch  a  derived  nature  as  is  fmful, 
by  way  of  inclination  and  prevalent  tendency,  and  become 
aftual  finners,  where  grace  doth  not  prevent,  as  foon  as  they 
are  capable  of  moral  agency.  A  man  may  be  born  finful  in  the 
eye  of  the  law,  but  can  be  a  linner  only  by  his  own  aft.  James 
i.  14.  The  former  is  his  Tnfelicity,  the  latter  is  his  fault,  and  is 
imputable.  The  law  being  originally  written  in  the  heart,  not 
to  be  erafed  but  by  annihilation,  the  law  of  the  mind  didates 
what  is  right,  but  the  law  of  fin  in  the  members  captivates  and 
makes  a  (lave  of  him,  as  the  apoftle  proves  in  Rom.  chap.  vii. 
The  law,  like  inefFe£lual  phyfic,  ftirs  up  bad  humors,  but  cann«t 
expel  them.  The  confounding  Rom.,  vii.  with  Gal.  iv.  16,  i^, 
18,  is  a  grofs  miftake.  The  ftruggle  in  Galatians  is  between 
flefli  and  fpirit,  the  old  man  and  new  :  but  in  Romans  it  is 
between  the  law  of  the  mind,  the  inward  man,  or  confcience, 
and  the  animal  nature  as  corrupt.  The  man,  in  Rom.ans,  is 
under  the  lav/,  and  not  under  grace  :  the  man,  in  Galatians,  h 
under  grace,  and  not  under  the  law  :  the  latter  therefore  con- 
quers, but  the  former  is  overcome.  Rom.  vi.  14.  The  other 
interpretation  of  Romans  vii.  applying  it  to  the  regenerate,  is 
inconfiflent  with  ihcir  Jiate,  and  repugnant  to  the  drift  of  the 
apoftle,  which  was  to  perfuade  them  to  leave  the  law  and  come 
under  Chrift,  which  they  might  do,  as  the  law  was  jurally  dead 
^5  thcmj  and  they  were  dead  to  that  by  the  body  of  Ghrlf^; 


U  tHE  HOLV   scripture! 

Again,  man's  natural  ftate  by  the  law  is  under  the  ciirfe* 
Gal.  iii.  lo* 

This  complete*  man's  natural  legal  condition,  that  it  is  a  flatc 
of  condemnation  unto  death,  without  any  hope  of  liberation  by 
law.  The  law  reduces  man  to  abfolute  defpair,  and  there- 
fore tuC  gofpel  is  neceffary  to  juftification  of  life* 


CHAP.  in. 

THE     HOLY     SCRIPTURES. 

A  ddineation  cf  the  charaBer  of  the  Scriptures,  as  holy,  popular j 
unphilofophicali  antimetaphyfical^  and  thcopoliticaL 

THE  account  that  hath  been  given  of  God's  original 
creation  and  kingdom,  of  its  conftitution,  of  the  original,  and 
prefent  natural  and  legal  (late  of  man,  plainly  evinces  that  no 
religion  of  nature  ever  was,  or  can  be  faving  to  man  in  this 
world.  The  reafon  is  plain,  man  hath  been  always  in  a  ftatel 
of  degradation  from  the  original  ftate  of  holy  nature  :  ncithcif 
Adam  nor  any  of  his  defcendants  ever  were  holy  as  the  law 
requires,  and  therefore  the  more  perfe£l  their  knowledge  of  that 
is,  the  more  defperate  they  muft  fee  their  circuraftances  to  be 
thereby.  A  law  once  tranfgreffed  can  never  juftify  nor  lave  the 
tranrgre(ror  :  and  the  cafe  is  the  fame  where  there  is  no  aftual 
tranfgrelTion,  if  there  is  a  deficiency  or  deftitution  of  charaf^er 
according  to  the  law  that  is  the  rule  and  meafure  of  judgment 
in  their  cale.  In  the  piefent  ftate  of  man  there  muft  be  the 
interpofition  of  fovereign  grace,  and  fuperlegal  mercy,  or  hd 
muft  pine  away  without  remedy  and  without  hope.  And 
whether  thefe  may  and  can  be  confiftently  exercifcd  by  a  holy 
and  juft  Lawgiver,  and  upon  what  conditions,  muft  be  hid  in 


THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  ^ 

God  until  revealed,  becaufe  they  refult  from  the  counTel  and 
purpofe  of  his  own  will.  They  who  entertain  the  idea  of 
legal  falVation  to  finners  upon  their  repentance  betray  greaJ 
ignorance  of  the  nature  of  legal  conftitutions.  Repentance 
is  no  rcquifition  of  a  proper  law,  nor  doth  it  fatisfy  for  any 
breach  of  law  whether  human  or  divine.  Man  cannot  in  his 
prefent  ftate  do  without  a  religion  that  is  hew  in  its  olfje^  and 
doElrine,  which  therefore  muft  be  a  revealed  religion,  and  any 
that  pretends  not  to  revelation  is  not  worth  examination;. 
The  religion  proper  for  man  in  his  prefent  flate  muft  alfo  pro-» 
t^ide'jt  rernedy  for  his  criminal  evils ^  and  afford  deliverance 
jfrom  his  penal-tvits,  and  be  effcElual  io  rejlore  in  man's  nature 
that  foundation  for  happinefs  he  hath  now  lofti  A  religioa 
that  doth  not  propofc  thefe  things  can  do  man  no  good„  And 
as  the  fcripture  revelation  promifeth  thefe  things  it  deferves 
examination.  It  confiders  man  as  he  is  at  prefentj  and  pretends 
to  provide  an  adequate  remedy,  if  applied.  All  therefore  oughfe 
to  endeavor  to  underftand  man's  flate,  and  needed  remedy, 
which  nonre  can  do  unlefs  they  alfo  underftand  the  fcecIfiG 
chara£ler  of  thofe  holy  writings.  The  fcience  of  landity  is 
derived  from  them  ;  what  hath  been  written  and  is  yet  to  be 
written  is  fcripturifm  explained  according  to  reaionj  commoa 
{f&zi^Q  and  the  juft  analogy  of  things. 

1.  The  chara61:er  that  determines  thz  fpscijic  rMv.n  of  the 
fcriptures  is  that  they  are  holy, 

Holinefs  or  fan6lity  enters  into  the  very  nature  of  ihefa 
writings,  and  is  their  divinity,  and  what  diftinguiflieth  tbeta 
from  all  others.  They  are  frequently  ftilcd  the  holy  fcrip- 
tures, and  in  the  front  of  the  book  that  contains  them  we 
read  this  fignificant  and  expreflive  title,  the  holy  biblb. 
This  is  charaaeriftical  of  the  whole  book  aftd  its  contents* 
It  is  the  holy  zucrd  of  the  holy  God,  written  by  the  infpiratioa 
of  the  Holy  Ghoft,  by  holy  msn,  concerning  holy  mctUrs,  ztA 
M 


33  THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURESe 

treated  of  in  an  holy  manner.  The  holy  people's  book,  tko 
l)ook  of  the  church,  which  is  a  holy  polity,  it  teacheth  the 
knowledge  of  the  holy,  Prov.  xxx.  3.  and  ix.  10.  The  fcience 
of  fanftity  is  a  divine  learning,  to  be  acquired  by  none  but  the 
holy  :  it  is  that  wifdom  which  is  underjianding.  Other 
fciences  are  common  and  profane,  as  converfant  about  other 
fubje£ls.  Such  are  the  fciences  of  ontdlogy,  philofophy,  phi- 
lology, logic,  mathematics,  &c.  and  however  good  and  ufeful 
they  may  be  in  themfelvcs,  are  fpecifically  difFerent  from  that 
divine  erudition  the  holy  fcriptures  teach.  And  whenever 
any  allufxon  is  made  in  that  divine  book  to  other  fciences,  they 
are  ever  to  be  diftinguiftied  in  their  kind  and  quality  from  th« 
fcience  of  theology.  The  fcriptures  are  holy  ohjsUively  and 
fubjeElively  :  even  the  kiftorical  parts  are  either  of  holy  peopk_ 
or  of  others  as  conne£led  with  them.  Their  genealogies, 
chronology,  geography,  &c.  are  thus  to  be  confidered  :  and 
their  ufe.  defign  and  effeft  is  holinefs.  Holinefs  in  theftudent 
of  them  is  the  beft  qualification  for  underftanding  them  :  for 
they  are  the  book  of  holy  men  committed  unto  them  as  a 
facred  depofitory. 

By  this  \\\.\&holy.  it  is  intended  that  they  are  neither  philo- 
fophical,  metaphyfical,  fchoiaftical,  or  logical.  "  Beware  left 
any  man  fpoil  vcu  through  philot'ophy  and  vain  deceit,  after 
the  traduicn  of  men,  after  the  rudiments  of  this  world,  arid 
not  after  Chrifl,''  Coloff.  ii.  8.  was  a  caution  th«n  needed, 
and  which  hath  been,  and  is  as  little  minded,  in  the  interpret- 
ation of  fcripture,  as  any  one  in  all  the  bible,  to  the  infinite 
damage  of  the  fcience  of  fanftity.  Bifliop  Taylor  in  his  Duft. 
Dub.  long  ago  faid,  "That  tke  chnflian  fchools  drew  iomc  of 
their  articles  through  the  limbecks  of  Plato's  philofophy,  and 
the  relifh  remairjs  upon  them  to  this  day."  And  anotiier  know- 
ing writer  faith,  "  Some  of  the  philofophers  became  ihrifliaas 
upon  the  rife  of  chriftianity,  efpecially  of  the  platonic  feft,  and 


THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  9, 

coming  Into  the  chUrch,  left  not  their  platonlfm  behind  them. 
feut  transferred  many  things  from  their  philofophy  into  the 
«hriftian  religton,  particularly  in  the  doftrine  of  the  trinity, 
and  the  incarnation  of  Jefus  Chrlfl."  And  it  will  appear 
hereafter  that  the  reputed  orthodox  do6lrincs  of  the  trinity, 
the  logos,  &c.  are  deduced  from  the  writings  of  Plato,  Phiio, 
and  the  Jewifh  Rabbins,  the  worft  of  all  interpreters,  and  not 
from  the  holy  fcriptures.  It  hath  been  taken  for  granted  that 
the  primitive  fathers  living  nearer  to  the  apoflles,  mull  for 
that  reafon  be  better  interpreters  of  fcripture  than  any  firice, 
and  under  the  influence  of  this  perfuafion  many  have  implicitly 
followed  thefe  men,  fpoilt  through  philofophy,  to  the  infinite 
damage  and  perverfion  of  the  fcriptures  and  the  faith  of  chrii'- 
tians.  The  fame  charge  lies  againfl:  the  paying  th  it  deference 
•o  the  authority  of  the  leaders  in  the  reformation  which  hath 
been  commonly  done,  as  if  they  were  almofl  or  quite  an  infallible 
flandard  of  truth.  Their  fchoiaflic  creeds  and  catechiims  are 
both  void  of  divinity  and  good  fenfe  in  defcribing  the  only  true 
God  as  2  perfeft  eflfence  confifting  of  three  perfons  ;  and  hirn 
whom  he  hath  fent  as  a  compound  peifon  conntling  of  two 
intelligencles,  and  t*vo  perfonalities.  And  their  doftrine  of  the 
trinity,  which  babes  in  Chrifl  are  initiated  into  the  belief  of,  is 
full  of  inconfiftency  and  confufion.  God's  reigning  eltate,  his 
kingdom,  and  Satan*s  godfhip  over  this  world,  are  altogether 
unnoticed,  and  logical  fubtilties,  and  metaphvfical  quiddities 
are  fubilituted  in  the  room  of  important  realiiics.  The  buii- 
nefsof  religion  is  made  to  confift  in  metaphyfical  difputes,  the 
worft  men  may  be  the  beft  ai  it,  and  nane  are  bettered  by  it. 
Now  the  chief  caufe  hereof  is  profound  ignorance  of  the  fpe- 
«ific  charafter  of  the  bible,  the  only  repofitory  of  this  holy 
fcience.  , 

To  prevent  all  miftakes  about  what  hath  been  written  above, 
a  d:ftin£lion  muft  be  made  between  the  two  kinds  of  philofophy 


^9  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 

which  do  exift,  the  one  popular  and  praBica%  the  oih.tr  fcholaf- 
tkalznd/peenlative.  The  former  was  learned  by  men  of  a  politiq 
and  praftic  life,  the  latter  by  men  of  a  reclufe  fcholaftic  life. 
The  firft  confifts  in  ethics,  politics^  economics,  agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts  :  and  to  thefe  belong  the  principality, 
the  prieithood,  the  matters  of  religion,  government,  and  com- 
mon life.  This  kind  of  philofophy  is  no  enemy  to  divinity, 
though  a  diftinft  fcience  from  it.  But  the  other  was  confined 
to  the  fchpols  where  logic,  metaphyfics,  phyfiology,  philology^ 
Grecian  rhetoric  and  eloquence  were  taught,  fciences  no  ways 
contributing  to  a  good  life,  but  rather  ferving  to  fill  the  head 
with  fubtilties  and  to  obfcure  the  truth.  It  was  taught  in  the 
fchools  of  Plato,  Ariflotle,  Pythagorus,  &c.  and  revived  by 
Thomas  Aquinas,  Dons  Scotus,  Peter  Lombard,  &c.  It  never 
made  any  better  for  their  acquaintance  with  it,  but  many  worfe^ 
The  Eilenes  wave  of  this  charafler  among  the  Jews,  whon^ 
Jofeplius  celebrates,  but  our  Savior  doth  not  mention  as  any 
kind  of  religious  le£i:.  Men  of  this  philofophy  moft  oppofed 
chriRianity,  and  if  any  embraced  it,  they  corrupted  it.  It  is  a 
vaui  deceit  ;  the  apoftle  calls  the  mi/e  men  of  this  world  and  its 
tenets  the  zvifdom  of  the  world  that  comes  to  nought  :  and  they 
accounted  the  do6lrine  of  Chrift  crucified  Joolijlinejs,  While 
the  fcriptures  exprefs  mathematical  learning,  mechanical  wifdoro, 
human  politics,  and  fome  branches  of  natural  philofophy,  it 
faith  nothing  of  metaphyfics,  or  of  any  other  of  the  fcholaftic 
fciences.  They  are  no  hand  maids  to  divinity,  thsy  have  no% 
fan£lity  in  them,  nor  are  they  conducive  to  it, 

2.  The  fcriptures  are  popular  as  well  as  holy. 

They  are  written  for  the  ufe  and  benefit  of  the  people,  and 
are  accommodated  to  their  capacity,  Philofophy  in  the  above 
rejefled  fenfe,  was  only  taught  in  their  fchools,  and  the  common 
people,  that  is  all  but  themfelves,  were  treated  with  fovcreign 
contempt   by  thefe  worldly  wife  men,   and  kept  at  an,  awful 


THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURE:!,  j^3 

diftancc  as  profane.  Lord  Bacon  calls  ethics,  laivs,  politks  and 
economics^  the  J^icnus  popular,  as  they  concern  the  welfare  of  the 
community  of  the  people.  Religion  is  the  moft  popular  of  ail 
fciencss,  becaufe  it  concerns  every  perfon  alike,  the  king  and 
peafant,  to  iludy,  learn  and  prattife  it,  for  it  is  ihcir  life.  The 
knowledge,  faith  and  pra£lice  of  teachers  cannot  be  imputed  to 
the  learners  of  it.  Every  man  muft  make  the  knowledge,  faith 
and  pra6lice  of  religion  perfonally  his  own.  Bat  the  philofo- 
phers  were  antipopular  ;  they  were  never  any  politic  {ociety 
themfelves,  and  were  never  better  members  of  fociety  for  their 
philofophy.  nor  th«  common  people  worfe  men  or  citizens  for 
want  of  it.  Some  of  them  would  not  be  chrifiians  lefl  they 
fhould  be  called  by  the  fame  name,  and  be  commonized  v*^ith  the 
vulgar.  And  they  carried  their  pride  of  wifdom  fo  high  as  to 
repute  better  men  than  themfelves  as  mere  brutes,  becaufe  un* 
acquainted  with  their  fcholafiiic  fubtilties  and  logical  quirks. 
But  the  people  might  recriminate  with  better  jultice,  and  afk, 
if  fcholaftic  philofophy  ever  made  any  man  wifer  or  better, 
ever  reftified  any  vulgar  errors  in  religion  or  civil  politics  ? 
Did  philofophy  ever  form  any  falutary  fyflern  of  truth  6r  morals 
embraced  by  any  nation  or  people  under  heaven  ?  The  queflion 
is  yet  unanfwerable  in  the  affirmative.  What  good  did  fchool 
philofophy  ever  do  ?  It  fwelled  and  puffed  them  up,  and  while 
they  laughed  in  private  at  Tome  parts  of  the  eflablffhed  religion, 
inilead  of  making  any  generous  eiiorts  to  efi'eft  an  alteration  for 
the  better,  they  meanly  complied  in  public  with  tJfe  vulgar 
iuperftitions.  The  atheiim  and  fcepticifm  bred  in  their  fchools» 
were  much  more  pernicious  than  any  vices  of  the  commoa 
people.  The  greateft  and  bell  men  of  Greece  and  Rome  were 
popular  men,   brought  up  in  no  philolophic  fchools. 

Schools  of  philofophers  have  been  nurieries  of  atheifm  and 
infidelity,  God  is  in  nature  the  founder,  preferver  and  provi- 
^fJlitial  governor  of  popular  conimunitiesj   a$  kingdoms,  cities 


94  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES, 

and  families,  and  they  are  for  a  God,  providence,  and  rites  of 
wprfhip.  But  as  God  is  no  founder  of  philofophic  fchools, 
nor  his  providence  charged  with  their  confervation  as  fuch,  fo 
they  have  originated  feveral  fefts  and  fchemes  of  atheifm,  as  the 
anaximandrian,  atomical,  ftratonical,  and  cofmcplaftic,  &c, 
Thefe  are  the  men  who  counted  the  wifdom  of  God  in  the 
go^^cl  foolijhnefs,  and  are  in  that  juftly  reckoned  to  ht  fools, 
Thev  liked  not  chriftianity  becaufe  it  did  not  treat  of  things 
in  their  logical,  methodical  way,  nor  ufe  any  of  their  technical 
terms.  The  fcriptures  treat  of  matters  as  a  law  and  dire£lory 
of  life  ought  to  do  ;  no  fpeculative  fcience  is  mentioned,  no 
dedu£lions  from  the  reafon  and  fitneffes  of  things,  or  from  th« 
phyfical  natures  of  beings.  Spirits  ontologically  naay  be  im- 
material, rational,  intelligent,  incorruptible,  immortal,  and 
have  all  the  powers  of  agency,  and  yet  be  devils  in  their  nature. 
We  do  not  read  of  any  benevolence  to  beings  or  univerfal  being, 
vhr  of  any  degrees  of  exiflence,  in  the  holy  fcriptures.  To  mix 
philofophy  and  metaphyfics  with  tht  fcience  offanB^ity,  which 
are  fo  heterogeneous,  makes  a  linfey  woolfey  fyfiem,  and  is  no 
better  than  plowing  with  an  ox  and  afs  together.  The  fcrip- 
tures ever  fpeak  according  to  «ommon  apprehenfions  and  vihble 
appearances,  treating  of  heavenly  beings  and  things  by  analogy 
to  what  is  earthly,  fecluding  imperfeftions,  and  preferving  a 
fpecific  difference  between  them. 

All  the  holy  writers  of  fcripture  were  popular  men,  and 
belonged  to  no  fe£l  of  philofophy,  and  were  generally  unac- 
quainted with  any  exotic  learning.  Confidcred  as  Jews  their 
learning  was  facred  :  their  fchools  and  colleges  were  only  for 
divine  erudition.  The  latter  Jews,  in  proportion  to  their 
acquaintance  with  Grecian  and  Roman  literature,  ceafed  to  be 
genuine  Jews  by  philofophizing  with  pagans,  as  Jofephus  and 
Philo,  &c.  evidently  do,  and  were  Judaical  Pagan  in  their 
charaGcr.     Mofes,  though  vcrfed  in  the  wifdom  of  the  Egyp- 


THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES,  g^ 

tians,  after  he  was  raifcd  to  be  a  prophet  of  God  to  the  ptople, 
make*  no  ufe  of  his  profane  learning.  He  defcribes  the  creation 
in  a  popular  manner,  as  a  fpeftator  would  have  done,  fpeaking 
according  to  common  apprehenlions.  He  is  far  from  aftro- 
Momical  exaftnefs  in  his  calculations  ;  his  fcftivals  are  fixed  by 
moons,  a  precarious  way  of  reckoning  in  cloudy  weather,  which 
fubjefted  the  priefts  to  much  trouble  in  keeping  perfons  upon 
certain  mountains,  to  announce  by  found  of  trumpet  the  firft 
appearance  of  the  new  aioon. 

Confidering  the  holy  writers  as  apoftles,  prophets,  or  evan- 
gelifts,  they  were  no  philofophers  nor  fcholaftics. 

Hulbandmen,  or  ftiepherds,  or  men  of  mechanical  callings, 
were  the  moft  of  the  holy  writers  :  David  a  {hepherd,  Amos  a 
herdfman,  the  apoftles  fifhermen,  Paul  a  tent-maker  ;  unkarned 
zn^ignorant  men  was  their  general  charafter,  Atls  iv.  13.  Mea 
mi  learning  among  the  Jews  were  no  fcholaftic  literati,  and 
the  unlearned  men  fince,  who  have  wrejled  the  feriptuies,  have 
for  the  moft  part  been  profound  adepts  in  other  fciences,  but 
unkarned  in  divinity.  It  is  not  intended  to  rejeft  all  forts  ©f 
learning  as  ufelcfs  to  the  right  underftanding  of  the  fcriptures, 
A  knowledge  of  the  languages  in  which  they  were  written, 
the  popular  arts  they  ailude  to,  ancient  ufages  and  cuftoms, 
but  efpecially  fcripturifmy  are  neceilary.  hy  fcripturifm  is 
meant  a  particular  knowledge  of  the  fcripture  idiom,  its  own 
fenfe  of  words  and  phrafes  ;  it  ever  explains  itfelf,  and  needs 
no  labored  criticifra  to  inveftigate  its  fenfe.  That  fuch  is  the 
charaftcrof  the  fcriptures  and  the  writers  of  them,  holy  papular^ 
appears  from  the  books  themielves.  In  forac  places  they  are 
even  ungraramatical,  where  the  conftru6lion  is  not  with  the 
words,  buj:  fenfe.  II,  Cor.  viii.  23.  Bcza  owns  they  folicile 
with  the  vulgar,  and  are  written  wi»^bout  the  art  of  logic,  by 
definitions,  argumentations,  and  method,  or  any  flowers  of 
common  rhetoric  or  artificial  •loquencc,     Grotius   faith,  our 


9^  THE  HOLY  scripture! 

Savior's  fpecch  was  clear  and  popular  in  his  parables  and 
limilltudes.  For  themoft  part  the  iHlti  of  fcripture  is  fimple, 
unadorned  and  unafFefted,  though  not  without  fomc  paffages 
of  great  fublimity.  But  the  eloquence  there  ufed  is  inarti- 
ficial, fuch  as  becomes  the  language  of  wifdom,  and  the  facred 
paiTions  and  affeclions  they  abound  with.  Their  eloquence 
aiifes  out  of  the  fubjeft  treated  of,  and  follows  their  wifdom* 
To  conteft  as  fome  do  for  the  preeminence  of  fcripture  in  arti- 
ficial eloquence,  to  the  Greek  or  Roman  philofophers,  is  like 
proving  the  greatnefs  of  Alexander,  or  Caefar,  by  allcdging  they 
were  good  fiddlers  and  dancers.  They  have  but  little  concern 
for  eternal  life,  who  rejeft  the  fcriptures,  becaufe  deflitute  of 
attic  eloquence,  or  purity  of  greecifm.  They  are  coneife  and 
fioipie  in  their  hiftorical  narrations,  ruppreffing  all  re(le£lions 
of  their  own,  where  an  uninfpired  writer  would  ufe  them.  li? 
ChriR  in  hisTermon  on  the  mount  had  affe6led  the  drains  of  De- 
moflhenes  or  Cicero,  it  would  have  lowered  the  dignity  of  that 
excellent  difcourfe.  The  fcriptures  are  well  known  to  ufe  many 
words  and  phrafes  in  a  fenfe  peculiar  to  therafelves.  As  civil 
law  terms  muft  be  underftood  in  a  civil  law  fenfe,  and  not  in 
the  fenfe  of  philofophy,  fo  fcripture  terms  muft  be  underflood 
fcripturally,  and  according  to  thtfpecijic  nature  of  that  inftitu- 
tion  where  they  are  found.  To  explain  the  fame  words  in 
Adam's  economy^  as  is  done  in  Chrift's,  though  often  done, 
confounds  natural  and  earthly  things  with  fpiritual  and  heav- 
enly, the  figures  and  types,  with  the  fubftance  and  antitypes. 
Adam  is  f-id  to  be  a  natural  man,  not  fpiritua!!,  and  a  figure 
«f  him  that  was  to  come,  even  Chrift  :  therefore  the  goods  and 
cvl's  derived  or  derivabl*  to  his  defcendants  could  only  be 
natural.  And  this  is  the  cafe  when  terms  belonging  to  the 
judaical  fiiLl  covenant  are  interpreted  like  the  fame  terms  ufed 
in  the  gofpel,  better  covenant.  In  the  firfh  covenant  there  is 
r.r.  fpiritual,  heavenly  promife,  Heb.  ix.  15^  but  in  the  fecond 


THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  97 

all  is  fpirltual  and  heavenly.  If  therefore  words  in  both  are 
interpreted  alike,  the  fecond  is  not  the  better  covenant  in  its 
promifes  ;  and  if  the  death  without  mercy  for  tranfgreffing 
Mofes'  law,  is  fpiritual  and  eternal,  no  forcr  punifhment  can 
be  inllifted  for  negle£ling  the  gofpel.  In  many  places  of 
fcripture,  the  language  is  peculiarly  idiomatical,  joining  plural 
nouns  to  fmgular  verbs,  in  greecifing  hebraifms,  and  vice  verfa^ 
Thefe  holy  writings  are  the  more  beautiful,  becaufe  like  a  chafle 
matron,  they  are  not  trigged  off  with  any  gaudy  alcititious 
ornaments  of  art.  Their  fimilitudss  are  taken  from  common 
life,  chiefly  from  hufbandry,  and  the  praftices  of  popular 
communities,  the  government  of  kingdoms,  cities,  and  families  : 
hence  the  church  hath  all  thefe  names.  Some  quotations  in 
the  new  teftament,  from  the  old,  are  with  a  popular  unexact- 
nefs  in  names,  numbers,  and  proverbial  fpeeches,  according  to 
the  fen fe,  and  not  the  words.  Matt.  xi.  26.  from  Micah  x,  2, 
They  fometimes  fpeak  of  things  in  the  grofs  or  round  numberSj 
and  for  brevities  fake  interweave  diilinft  hifliorioal  fads,  where 
the  matters  were  well  known  to  their  auditors.  A6ls  vii.  16, 
Sometimes  they  fpeak  in  the  fenfe  of  equivatence,  Prov.  xiii, 
24.  Pf.  xix.  1.  or  by  v/ay  of  computation,  Deut.  xxiv,  6, 
vr  reputation^  Luke  xxiii.  32,  &c.  The  fciiptures  are  holy 
popular  in  their  end,  and  de/ign,  which  are  not  to  make  nlca 
good  critics,  nor  difputants,  but  good  livers. 

3.  The  fcriptures  are  the  holy  peoples  book  of  life. 
They  arc  the  law  and  rule  of  their  life,  and  teach  the  fclence 
of  vital  fan6lity,  or  the  art  of  holy  living.  They  are  the  in- 
ftitutes  of  life,  treat  of  the  living  God,  or  that  life  which  is 
according  to  hira.  In  them  we  have  maxims  proper  to  civil, 
moral,  domeflic,  fpiritual  and  eternal'  life.  Their  private  hir- 
tories  are  properly  biographical.  We  read  of  no  reclufe  per- 
Tons,  as  philofophers  (hut  u|S  in  their  fchools,  or  monks  in  their 

cl'jifters  ;  but  of  men  of  bufinefs  and  life,  who  a£^ed  in  everr 

N 


^^  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES, 

department  and  office,  in  high  and  low,  civil,  military  an^  ^ 
ecclefiafilcal  charafters,  in  private,  domeftic  and  public  life  ; 
and  who  afted  bolh  well  and  ill,  in  prolperity  and  adverfity  ; 
fo  that  every  one  almoft,  may  find  in  them  an  example  to  fol- 
low or  avoid,  whether  ruler,  fubjeft,  minifler,  people,  huXband, 
wife,  head  of  a  family,  &c.  The  end  of  fcripture  is,  that  wc 
may  live  and  not  die  ;  live  well  here,  and  happily  hereafter. 
In  them  are  the  words,  flatutes,  ordinances,  law  and  miniftra- 
tion  of  life,  through  the  fpirit  which  is  life.  They  aim  to 
reftore  and  nourifh  the  beft  kind  of  life,  the  life  which  is 
divine,  through  the  prince  of  life,  who  laid  down  his  own 
precious  life,  to  redeem  us  from  death  and  to  rellore  us  to  life 
everlafling. 

4.  The  fcripturcs  are  the  book  of  focktive  and  politic  life^ 
both  civil  religious  znA/piritual  religious^ 

The  bible  is  properly  a  political  book  in  its  treating  of  things 
and  perfons.  Its  ethics,  economics,  ecclefiaflics,  all  relate  to 
focietive  and  politic  life  :  every  man  is  confidered  as  flanding 
in  fome  locletive  politic  relation.  The  fhate  and  charafler  of 
God  himfelf  is  fuch  :  no  farther  than  he  is  king  is  he  God, 
and  we  are  h\s  fubjeEls  as  really  and  truly  as  we  are  creatures, 
or  men.  To  him  two  eminent  titles  belong  as  definitive  and 
charatleriffcical,  '*  king  of  nations"  and  "king  of  faints;" 
Jer.  X.  7.  Rev.  xv.  3.  and  from  thefe  all  civil  religious  and 
fpirit ual  religious  obligations  are  derived.  The  attributes  of 
God  are  not  only  vital  and  perfonal,  but  royal  and  imperial. 
It  is  in  his  royal  and  imperial  chara61cr  that  the  deity  is  the  ob- 
jc£l:  of  religious  homage  and  worfhip.  The  fcholaftic  mode  of 
Contemplating  him  as  a  fpirit,  a  pure  mind,  moft  perfe£l  intel- 
ligence, or  effence,  *he  greateft.  beft,  and  wifeft  of  beings  is 
unlcriptural,  and  leaves  room  to  aik,  "  who  is  Lord  over 
us  ?"  In  the  fcripturcs  we  have  the  beft  foundation  of  civil 
religious  policy.  Government  is  there  declared  to  be  an  ordi- 
nance of  God  as  king  of  nations,    the  end  and  dsfign  of  it   is 


THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  59 

pointed  out,  the  civil  moral  rights  and  dues  of  God  and  of 
man,  are  afcertained  and  declared,  and  all  power  is  of  God  in 
•very  mode  of  its  lawful  poflefTion  or  conveyance.  There 
the  qualifications  and  duties  ox  rulers  are  fpecified,  the  privi- 
leges and  meafures  of  obedience  in  fubje6ls  are  alio  declared. 

And  as  nations  only  exift  in  this  world,  the  fcriptures  teach 
us  that  God  hath  inftituted  a  religion  of  this  world  even  his 
jnoral  Uw,  zs  o(  civil  religious  interpretation,  for  both  rulers 
and  fubjetls  in  their  places  to  obrerve,  in  order  to  the  exalta- 
tion of  a  nation. 

In  the  fame  divine  book  we  have  a  complete  fyflem  of 
fpiritual  religious  politics,  God,  as  king  of  faints,  is  founder 
of  a  kingdom,  and  inftitutor  of  a  religion  7iot  of  this  world, 
defcribing  the  fubjefts,  the  terms  and  mode  of  induftion,  &c. 
However  obvious  this  charader  of  the  fcriptures  is,  it  hath 
been  moft  unaccountably  overlooked  by  fcholaftic  divines. 
In  their  fyfleras  there  is  no  defcription  of  God  as  king,  nor  of 
his  kingdom,  and  if  a  politic  term  comes  in  their  way,  they 
call  it  a  figure,  or  metaphorical  expreffion,  and  thruft  it  out 
of  fight.  The  afifembly'i  catechifm  in  its  anfwer  to  '•  What 
is  GodP"  doth  not  exprefs  the  ftate  and  fovereignty  of  God, 
and  its  firfl  title  "  God  is  a  fpirit,"  on  which  all  the  reft  is 
predicated,  is  not  fcripture.  The  text  referred  to  in  the  original 
is  God  is  fpiritj  expre  fifing  his  fpecific  nature  and  chara6ler, 
and  not  his  immateriality,  which  diftinguifhes  him  not  from  evil 
beings.  The  rights  of  God  are  all  rights  of  fovereignty,  and 
all  our  dues  to  him  infer  the  ftate  of  fubje^ls.  The  bible  is  a 
fealed  book  to  fuch  as  treat  things  metaphyfically.  The  reli- 
gious politics  of  fcripture  are  of  two  forts  ;  firft,  civil,  directing 
our  condudl  as  nations,  rulers,  fubjects  parents,  children,  huf. 
bands,  wives,  mafters  and  fervants,  all  politic  relations. 
f&rmed  by  civil  moral  ties,  and  which  continue  only  in  this 
tijp  :  fccond,  fpiriiualf    diri6ling   our    conduft  as   faints    and 


jco  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 

fellow  citizens  of  heaven.  To  explain  fuch  a  book  phllo- 
fophically  and  fofcolaflically,  is  as  abfurd  as  It  would  be  to  ex- 
plain the  law  of  a  common  wealth  by  the  Elements  of  Euclid, 
or  Sir  Ifaac  Newton's  optics.  Divines  who  interpret  fcripture 
metaphyfically,  aft  no  better  a  part  than  a  phyfician  would  aO: 
who  bio'.ved  up  bubbles^  and  looked  at  them  with  glaffes,  to 
cure  the  fever  or  gout, 

5.  The  fcriptures  contain  the  word  of  God,  expreffing  his 
mind  upon  the  various  fubjefts  they  treat,  in  language  accom- 
modated to  the  capacity  of  holy  people. 

The  word  of  God  is  their  common  title,  and  God  is  faid  to 
fpeak  in  them,  to  declare  his  mind  about  the  various  matters 
of  which  they  treat,  not  in  language  which  man's  wifdom, 
but_  the  Holy  Ghoft,  teacheth.  They  by  whom  the  contents 
of  fcripture  were  ^vHJpoken  were  God's  mouth,  and  they  by 
whom  ihtkjpeeckes  were  firfl  written  were  GoA'sfcribe*s  or 
amaniunfis.  The  fcriptures  are  therefore  their  ov^n  beft  inter- 
preters, and  need  not  the  inventions,  nor  traditions,  nor  vain 
conceits  of  men,  to  help  to  underftand  them.  Yet  the  truth 
of  faO;  is,  that  they  have  met  with  worfe  treatment,  from 
Jearned  fcholafbicsj  but  unlearned  in  fcripturifm,  than  the  Jew 
did  who  fell  among  thieves.  Unikilful  and  unholy  bunglers, 
have  wrefted  them  to  their  own  and  others  hurt. 

Chrlft  dire£ls  us  to  fearck  the  fcriptures  :  and  the  Bereans 
are  commended  for  thos  doing.  By  the /earching  recommend- 
ed, is  not  intended  a  curfory  reading,  but  a  diligent  and  careful 
perulal  of  them  with  attentive  minds,  good  and  honeft  hearts, 
free,  independent,  and  unbiafled  by  preconceived  notions, 
minds  open  to  convlftion  and  the  light  of  truth,  unfettered  by 
human  authority  in  popes  fathers,  councils,  creeds,  catechiims 
and  confeffions,  even  though  to  give  a  fandion  and  currency 
to  their  dogmas,  they  are  ftamped  with  the  fandimonious  narat 
of  orthodoxy,  '.,. 


OF  GOD  THE  FATHER.  loi 

A  mind  under  the  fiiacklcsof  tradition  and  huoar^  pretended 
authority,  or  as  Dr.  Watt's  exprcffes  it,  a  foul  infetters^  c?:i 
never  arrive  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  and  if  that  ruould 
arrive  to  him,  he  will  not  dare  to  entertain  or  profcfs  ir,  becaufs 
others  through  floth,  bigotry  and  fuperilition  have  no 
love  of  light,  but  want  his  company  in  darknefs.  The  utmoft 
diligence  is  neceffary  in  the  fearch  of  fcripture,  as  the  truths 
belonging  to  the  Icience  of  fanftity  are  intcrfperfed  and  min- 
gled with  other  matters,  in  part  with  defign  to  exercilc  our 
induflry,  and  that  the  truth  too  eafiiy  come  bv,  may  not  be 
defpifed.  If  the  charafter  and  defign  of  fcripture  iij  kept  in 
view,  and  we  attend  to  the  connexion  and  Icope  of  the  facred 
writers,  confiderthe  feveral  inftitutions  of  religion,  where  words 
are  found  ;  and  above  all,  if  we  look  to  him  that  indirted 
them  to  lead  us  into  the  knowledge  of  them  ;  we  fliall  know 
of  the  do6lrIne  they  contain.  In  this  way  an  attempt  fhall  be 
made  to  explain  the  chriftian  theory. 


CHAP.  IV 


OF      GOD     THE     FATHER, 


Of  the  one  God  as  the  Father  :   a  fingular  intdltclualljl  :  hoia  a 
and  the  Father  :   foundation  of  his  patirnityj   &c. 

IN  the  fecond  chapter  God  was  confidered  as  the  efxicient 
of  the  firft  creation,  and  the  founder  of  his  original  kingdom  ; 
as  well  as  the  author  of  th^  Mofaic  terreftrial  animal  fyfi:em  I 
he  is  now  to  be  contemplated  under  a  new  chara£ler  as  a  Re- 
deemer, new  Creator  and  Savior  ;  and  efpecially  as  the  God 
and  Father  of  a  diftinguifhed  perfon  called  his  Son,  as  related 
to  another  perfon  called  the  Holy  Ghofl  ;  which  three  are  tha 
pevfonal  fovereignty  of  the  kinj^dom  o^  f^-nd  r.s  it  is  now  con- 


108  OF  GOD   THE  TATHEll. 

flituted.  This  will  lead  us  to  an  explanation  of  the  doftrmc 
of  the  trinity  (o  called.  In  this  part  of  the  theory  we  fhall 
have  to  combat  with  deep  rooted  prejudices,  and  tradionary 
dogmas  which  have  been  received  with  profound  veneration. 
All  that  is  defired  of  the  reader  is  to  ufe  his  own  faculties,  to 
think  of  his  own  intereft  in  knowing  the  truth  ;  and  not  to  hk§ 
his  religion  the  lefs  for  underftanding  it. 

The  fundamental  article  of  all  religion  is  that  there  is  a  God, 
and  that  He  is  but  one,  and  of  none,  abfolutely  fupreme  and 
independent  ;  the  highejt,  or  mojl  high,     Reafon  and  revelation 
teach  this  doftrine  ;  and   any  do£lrine  of  a  trinity,  fubverfivc 
of  this   monotheifm  is  certainly  wrong.     For  three  fupreracs, 
or  highefts,  or  three    fupreme  coordinate  perfons  in  one  being 
or  God,  three  equals  in  power  and  glory,  or  a  triune  Jehovah, 
are  repugnances  to  reafon,  fcripture,  and  the  common  fenfe  of 
mankind,  where  they  exercife  it.     A  ihrce-one  king,  a  three-one 
divine  majefty,  a  three  unit,  and  a  three  individual,  are  equally 
true  ;  or  rather  untrue.      No  fpecific  or  even  numerical  fame- 
nefs  ef  effence  or  nature,  in  the  three  perfons,    conftitute  them 
one  God  or   Being  ;  becaufe  effence  or   nature  is  no  intclleft, 
without  which  perfonality  cannot  be  conftituled  as  joined  with 
a  nature  :  and  a  three-one  intelle£l,  or  intelligence,  is  the  fam« 
with  a  threc^ndividual.      There  was  fhewn    to  Ifrael  but  one 
perfonal  Jehovah,  befides  whom  there  is  no  other  in  the  fupreme 
underived    fenfe.    Dcut.  iv.  35.  and  vi.    4.  vi;.  9.      And    the 
fame  is  affirmed  in  many  other  parts  of  fcripture  :   Pf.  Ixxxvi. 
6.   Mark  xii.  29,  32. 1.  Cor,  viii.  4.  Gal.  iii.  20.  I.  Tim.  ii.  5, 
The  exiftence  of  ever  fo  many  perfons  in  one  nature,  doth  not 
make  them  one  being,  or  perfonal  agent  ;  nor  are  there  as  many 
perfonalittes  as  there  are  natures  in  a  being.      AH  men  exift  in 
one   human    nature    and    are  perfonaliy  diflinguiflied   by  their 
intclle6ls  :   and  all  holy  ffeings  exift  in  one  fpecific  divine  nature 
«r  eflence,  but  certainly  they  are  not  all  one  being  compoun««d? 


OF  GOD  THE  FATHER.  103 

The  one  God  is  no  compounded  being,  confifling  of  two  oth- 
er perfons  befides  himfelf :  for  He  is  "^  the  only  true  Goc',**  as 
diflinguifhed  from  "  him  whom  he  hath  fcnt,"  "  the  one  Lord, 
and  from  the  one  and  fame  Spirit."  John  xvii.  3.  I.  Cor.  viii.  4. 
To  the  Father  belongs  alfo  certain  perfonal  attributes,  incom- 
patible to  the  Son,  and  Holy  Ghoft  under  any  denomination. 
He  is  not  God  by  reafon  of  his  Son  or  Spirit,  but  they  are  di- 
vine by  reafon  of  their  relation  to  Him,  Never  arc  the  three 
perfons  in  conjun6lion  called  one  God.  The  Father  is  eis  one, 
expreflive  of  a  perfonal  unity  :  but  the  three  are  to  en,  denoting 
another  kind  of  unity,  in  which  others  are  comprehended. 
John  xvii.  21,  The  fecond  perfon  hath  no  exiflencc  but  as  a 
Son,  and  in  his  higheft  flate  of  dignity  hath  a  God  as  well  as 
Father,  and  therefore  cannot  be  one  God,  with  his  own  God, 
whole  fon  he  is.  Heb.  i.g,  A  miflake  prevails  that  Jefus 
is  d  fon  only  as  man,  asd  the  fon  of  man  as  born  of  a  woman  ; 
but  neither  of  thefe  are  true.  He  is  the  Son  of  God  as  born 
of  a  woman,  a  virgin,  and  hath  no  other  filiation,  and  is  the 
fon  of  man  upon  another  account,  as  will  be  fliewn.  As  the 
Son  of  God  born  of  a  woman,  neither  man  nor  the  will  of 
man  had  any  kind  of  concurrence  or  efficiency  in  his  produc- 
tion, but  are  totally  and  abfolutely  excluded  in  that  his  virgin 
mother  "  knew  not  a  man."  The  Holy  Ghoft  is  the  fpirit  of 
God,  and  cannot  therefore  be  the  fame  God  with  him  whofe 
fpirit  he  is  faid  to  be. 

This  one  God  whofe  fupremacy  and  underived  honor  fcho- 
laftics  have  fliamefuUy,  and  needlefsly  attacked  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  Son's  divinity,  is  ftiled  the  '*  Father,  of  whom  are 
all  things."  I;  Cor,  viii.  5.  As  fuch  he  ftands  oppofed  to  the 
gods  many,  and  diftinguiflied  from  the  Son,  "  the  one  Lord  by 
whom  are  all  things."  If  the  Son  or  Jefus  Chrift  is  included 
in  theFather  as  theone  God,  He  is  the  Father  of  himfelf,  v.'hich 
m  effect  deftroys  his  perfonal  being,  as  the  Sabellions  do,  faying 


104  OF  GOD  THE  FATHER, 

that  tX-it  Hi^hejt  of  whom  John  v.'3s  the  prophet,  is  the  Son, 
Jel'us  Clirift,  Luke  i.  76.  when  this  fame  perfon  is  called  the 
Sen  of  the  Highcf.,  Luke  i.  33.  which  makes  him  to  be  the  Son 
of  himfelf. 

The  reputed  orthodox  are  T50t  put  out  with  the  ab- 
iui'Jity  of  two  or  three  fupreroes,  higheils,  firfts,  and  equals 
in  government.  But  no  language  could  be  devifed  plainer  than 
that  which  the  fcripture  makes  ufe  of  to  declare  that  there  is 
but  one  God,  and  that  the  individual  perfon  of  the  Father  is  Hc» 
And  yet  fcholaflics  will  have  the  one  God  to  confift  of  three 
perfons,  which  is  no  better  than  faying  one  intelleflualifl  is  three 
intelleftualiils,  that  is  one  perfon  is  three  perfons.  One  God 
or  being  can  have  but  one  intelleft,  and  a  perfon  cannot 
have  \Qis  than  one.  The  fcholaftic,  a  monk  in  France  who 
formed  the  creed  called  after  Athonafius,  faith,  *'  The  Father  is 
Almighty,  the  Son  is  Almighty,  and  the  Holy  Ghoft  is  Almigh- 
ty, and  yet  they  are  not  three  AlmightieSj  but  one  Almighty, 
Mighty  edifying  to  common  people,  and  pleafing  to  infidels: 
and  to  crown  the  abfurdily  an  anathema  is  fubjoined  againft  all 
\  ;:.o  do  hot  thus  believe  it,  a  national  church  of  great  celeb- 
rity have  adopted  it,  obliged  their  clergy  to  fubfcribe  it  ; 
and  learned  expofitions  have  been  written  upon  that  and 
iheir  thirty  nine  articles,  to  fhew  how  they  may  be  underftood, 
and  lubfcribed  in  another  fcnfe  than  that  of  the  compilers,  and 
yet  be  fincere.  See  Bifhop  Burnet,  &c.  Let  not  fuch  com- 
plain of  tranfubftantiation,  or  Jefuitical  prevarication  :  clear 
folid  darknefs,  unadulterated  with  light,  is  the  obje6t  of  their 
love. 

Every  perfon  is  a  diflincl  intelleftualifl:,  having  an  individual 
vital  fubflance  or  efience.  And  as  one  being  can  be  no  more 
than  one  diftind  intelligent  pcrfonal  agent ;  it  is  plain  that  three 
pcr'ons  each  of  which  cnnnot  be  lefs  thm  one  diflinft  intel- 
'i^ent   petfonal  agent,  cmno\.  be  one  compound  diftinft  intelli- 


OF  GOD  THE  FATHER.  iSs 

gent  perfonal  agent,  any  more  than  three  fingle  units  can  be  one 
compound  unit.  The  diftindtion  of  what  is  ai>ove  reafon,  and 
of  what  is  contrary  to  it,  is  futile.  The  fa6t  is  denied  that 
thefe  three  perfons  are  ever  in  fcripture  faid  to  be  one  God, 
nor  is  there  any  thing  there  allerted  concerning  them  wliich 
implies  any  fuch  thing  ;  nothing  in  fcripture  above  reafon  or 
contrary  to  reafon  is  any  obje6t  of  faith  ;  for  then  we  fhould 
believe  without  reafon  and  repugnant  to  it,  which  none  arc 
ever  required  to  do.  Now  as  the  otiC  God  is  only  one  indi- 
\ndual  perfonal  agent,  of  one  underflanding  and  will  :  it  muft 
be  abfurd  to  fuppofe  a  three-one  underllanding,  and  a  three- 
one  wilU 

This  one  God,  is  the  God  and  father  of  our  Lord  jdui 
Chrift,  as  much  the  one  as  the  other,  and  in  his  v/hole  perfon, 
Eph.  i.  3,  17.  for  the  perfon  of  Jefus  being  conftituted  by 
his  generation  and  nativity  at  Bethlehem,  God  was  his  alone 
father,  and  there  was  noi  agency  of  man  to  the  production  of 
that  Holy  Thing  in  any  fhape  whatever.  It  cannot  be  truei 
therefore  that  the  firfh  perfon  in  the  Trinity,  is  the  God  and 
Father  to  the  fecond,  only  in  the  lowefl  capacity.  The  fecond 
perfon  hath  no  exiflence  but  as  a  Son,  andfudains  no  title  that 
will  riot  bear  that  addition.  Always  where  the  name  God  is 
iifed  in  the  abfolute  fenfe,  and  creation  is  afcribed  to  him  iri 
the  primary  fenfe,  the  one  God  the  Father  is  intended.  Job 
xxxi.  15.  Mai.  ii.  iG.  Afts  iv.  24.  That  the  terms  God 
and  Father  are  fometimes  to  be  nnderflood  cjfentially ^  for  tliie 
whole  Trinity  in  one  Being,  and  at  other  times  ptrfonally^ 
for  the  firft  perfon  in  the  Trinity,  is  a  dogma  of  Icholaflics, 
like  a  thoufand  others,  without  truth,  and  repugnant  to  reafon 
and  common  fenfe.  For  every  real  God  and  Father  is  ejfentially 
fuch,  and  a  compound  God  and  Father  is  fimple  unCompounded 
nonfenfe.      Scholaflics  have  been  led  into  error,  by  confidering 

ejfiincc  or   nature^  as  of  the  fame  import  with    perbnal  fceiof^, 
O 


io6  OF  GOD  THE  FATHER. 

and  fo  fynonymous  ;  but  they  might  conflder  an  integft 
and  cypher  as  the  fame,  for  elTcnce  or  nature  are  no  being,  but 
only  the  property  of  being  :  and  how  many  foever  diftinguifli- 
ing  properties  one  being  may  ha^e,  he  cannot  have  more  or 
lefs  than  one  iatelled  and  perfonality.  A  fingular  perfon 
may  have  feveral  elTences  or  natures  ;  man  may  have  three, 
animal  in  Jlejk  and  blood,  whereby  he  is  a  beafl  ;  Eccl.  iii.  i8, 
19,  20.  human  in  rationality  :  and  divine  as  born  of  God. 
Neither  of  thcfe  natures  or  eflences  hath  any  exiftence  or 
sgency  feparate  from  that  intcllcft  which  exifts  in  them.  As 
there  mud  be  one  intelleft  to  cne  being,  and  no  more,  fo  there 
mud  be  no  lefs,  to  one  perfon.  Three  or  two  intellefts  united 
in  one,  is  abfurd  ;  and  fo  is  two  perfonalities  or  iiitelligeneies, 
in  one  compound  perfon  or  intelligence, 

"  We,  the  orf  hodoxj   (faith  one  for  the   reft)    ailcrt  that  bs 
theie  is  but  one  true  God,  (o  in  him,    there  are  a  plurality  of 
perfons,  and   thefe    perfons   are  three,  Father,   Son,  and   Holy 
Ghofl."      Again,   "  To  form  a  right    notion  of  the  true  God, 
we  mufl  fet  Him  before  us  as  a  mofl  bleffed  effence  eonfifling  of 
three  perfons."     Theolo.    Reform,  p.  7.  vol.  L       This  is,  we 
orthodoxy  in  every  fenfe,  that  which  Sir  Richard  Steele,  in  the 
Guardian,    fpcaks  of,  nonfenfe  to   the  underflanding  and  non- 
fence  to  the  confcience.      Two  or   three  uncaufed   independent 
csrfons,  cannot  be  admitted  any  more  than  two  or  three  thou- 
fand.      And  two  or  three  fuch  in  one  beings  is  flill  more  unac- 
countable.     But  to  get  over   this  abfurdity,  it  is  faid,    "That 
the  mode  of  the   exiftcnce  of  the    Divine  Being  may  well  be 
fuppofed  to  be  difi'erent  from  that   of  all  other  beings."      This 
is   an    example    of    \v4iat    is   above   reajon^  or  zuithiut    reafon. 
The  Divine  Being  is  ftill  a  being,  and  exiflence  in  him  is  ftill 
exiflencc  ;   and  that  there   fhould  be  any  mode  of  exigence  in 
Hfm  above  rcafon,  is  beyond  their   knowledge  ;   and  it  is  repug- 
nant to  reafrn  that  a  Angle  Being  (hould  be  a  three   Being  3^ 


OF  GOD  THE  FATHER.  ,©7 

the  fame  time,  in  the  fame  fenfe,  or  any  fenfe  whatever.     The 
firft  do£lrine  the  ''  We  orthodox  ,"   ought  to  be  concerned  foi, 
even  before  that  of  the  divinity  of  the  Son,   is  that  of  the  mo- 
notheifra  of  the  Father  :   for  the  Son  hath  no  being  or  divinity 
but  as  the  only  begotten  of  the  only  true  God  the  Father  ;  and 
there  is  no  Trinity    where    the  Father  is  not  the ^?;,/?   and  the 
fountain.      The  fingular  preeminence  of   the  Father  as  the  one 
God  in  the  fuprerae  fenfe,  and  a  vindication  of  his  incommur 
nicable,  underivcd  and   independent   honors,    are    necclfary  in 
order  that  he  may  be  glorified  as  God,   and  the  charge  of  hav- 
ing more  gods  than  one  may   be  avoided.      The  Son  and    Holy 
Ghoft  have  all  this  divinity  of  nature  by  reafon  of  their  peculiar 
lelatioa   to   the   one   God  :   whereas    He  hath  his  divinity   of 
none.      However  intimate  and  cflfential  their  union  may  be,  the 
ther  alone  is  the  one  God  in  the  fupreme  fenfe,  with  one  fingUf 
lar  underftanding,  mind,  and  will  :  but  the  Son  halh  a  mind  and 
will  diftinft  from  the  Father  ;  and  fo  alfo  hath  the  Holy  Ghod  ; 
Matt.   xvi.  36.  I,  Cor.  xiii.  2,  and  whatever  agreement  there 
may  be  between  thefe  three  wills,  they  cannot  be  one  hngular 
identical  will.     The  Jews,  neither  infpired  nor  uninfpired,  ever 
thought  of  deducing  a  Trinity  from  any  idiomatical  exurelTions 
in  their   language,    where  a    fingular  and  plural  are  united,  as 
in  Jehovah  Elohim,  to  denote  the  fame   perfon,  or  the  plural 
»oun  us  is    connected  with  a  fingular  verb.      And  it  is  proba- 
ble they  knew  their  own  language  as  well  as  any  do  now,   Ifit  is 
faid  Elohim    mufc  fignify  ttjo  or  three,  why  nut  more  ?   Moles 
was  an  Elohim  to  Pharaoh.      And  if  God  faid,  let  us  make  man 
in  our  image,  fo  it  is  faid,  He  is  renewed  after  the  image  of  Him 
that  created  him,      Reafon  and   common  fenfe,  when  exerciledj 
oonccive  of  God  as  exifling   prior  to  ai»y  relation,  whether  of 
Father  or  Creator.      As  God  He  exifls  by  nccefTity  of  nnturr  ; 
but    generation   and    creation  are  not  neceffary,  but  voluntary, 
?nd  cannot,   a   parte   arite,  be  eternal,     God  would  ^ot   have 


io8  OF  GOD  THE  FATHER. 

been  lefs  ejfcntially  God,  if  no  creation  or  generation  had  taken 
place  :   for  what  is  from  His  good  pleafurCi  and  His   love,   can 
be  no  necefTary  and  involuntary  emanations  from  Him.     There 
are  therefore  certain  prerogatives  and  rights  which  belong  to 
the  Father  as  the  one  God.      *•  And  it  can  be  no   diminution 
of  the  Son,  that  He  is  from  another,  for   bis  very  name   of  a 
Son  implies  it  ;   but  it  would  be   derogatory   to  the  Father  to 
fpeak  thus  of  Hmi,     There  muft  be  fome  preeminence  where 
there  is  room  for  derogation.     What  God  the  Father  is,  He  is 
from  none  ;  but  what  the  Son  is,  He  is  from  the  Father  :  the 
Father  is  not  God  by  reafon  of  his  Son,  but  the  Son  is  God  by 
reafon  of  the  Father.  In  the  very  name  Father,  there  is  fomething 
cf  preeminence,  which  is  not  m  that  of  Son  :  and  fome  priority 
muft  be  afcribed  to  Him  whom  we  rightly  call  the  firft,  in  re- 
fpe£l  of  Him  whom  we  call  the  fecond  perfon  :   and  this  priority 
■we  ought  to  endeavor  to  preCerve,  left  we  deny  the  glory,  which 
is  evidently  due  to  the  Father  as  the  one  only  God.'*     See  Pear- 
fon  on  the  Creed.    Jefus  calls  the  Father  his  God,  afcribes  all  he 
hath  to  Him,  confeifes  he  was  of  Him,  and  fentby  Him,  and  ex- 
prefsly  faith,  •' The  Father  is  greater  than   I."  John    xiv.    28. 
For  the  Father  to  fay  thefe  things  of  the  Son  in  any  fenfe  would 
be  incongruous  :   And  to  fay  this  priority  of  the  Father  to  the 
■  Sen,  refpefls  only  a  part,  and  not  the  whole   of  the  perfon  of 
the  latter,  only  as  to  one  of  his  natures,  and  not  the  other,  hath 
no  truth,  fenVe,  or  meaning  in  if.      It  is  a  perfonal  priority  of 
a  Divine  Father  to  a  Divine  Son.      Their  natures  may  be  the 
fame,   and  yet    the    genitor   be    greater    than  the  begotten,  the 
giver  than  the  receiver,  the  fender   than  the  fent.      Greatnefs 
is  not  predicable  of  a  nature   abftrafted  from  the  intelleft  that 
exifts  in  it,  nor  is  a  rtature  capable  of  any  miftion,  for  it  is  no 
agent,  but  the  conftituitive  property  of  a  perfonal  being.     The 
rather  is  therefore  fo  the  one  God,  that  whatever  of  being,  or 
divinity  of  ftate,  or    of  nature,  the  Son  haih^  it  is  by  way  of 


or  GOD  THE  FATHER.  109 

communication  or  derivation  from  the  Father,  as  itsfountain. 
The  Son,  who  beil  knew  the  Father  and  himfelf,  acknowledges 
he  is  from  the  Father,  lives  by  Him,  and  in  Him,  and  that  He 
gave  him  to  have  life  in  himfelf.  The  Son  alio  refers  all 
to  the  Father,  as  he  received  all  from  him.  To  make  the  Son 
felf  exiftent,  independent  of  the  Father,  the  Higheft,  or  fupremc 
God  under  a  fecond  nation,  and  equal  in  eflentia!  authority 
and  divinity,  fubverts  the  monarchy  and  unity  of  ths  great 
God  of  the  univerfe,  and  gives  great  offence  to  fcripture  trini- 
tarians  ;  and  alfo  fcandal  to  thole  without ,  which  ought  to  be 
removed,  as  it  may  conliftently,  and  will  be  done  when  reafon 
and  fcripture  recover  their  place. 

The  one   perfonal   God  fuftains  the  title  and  relation  of  a 
Father,  and  the  Father. 

In  every  nation  the  Deity  hath  been  confidered  as  a  Father, 
even  though  the  whole  foundation  of  his  paternity  was  not 
known;  and  alfo  the  priefts  and  miniRers  of  the  Deity,  both 
among  pagans  and  chriftians,  have  had  the  fame  name.  This 
title  is  in  fcripture  given  to  God  upon  feveral  accounts. 
Generation  is  the  proper  foundation  of  it  ;  but  generation  h 
applied  to  feveral  modes  of  produftlon,  as  that  of  creatiop, 
Gen.  ii,  4.  and  the  firfl  book  in  the  bible  hath  its  name 
from  hence.  God  as  creator  is  called  the  Father  of  heaven 
and  earth  ;  the  Father  of  the  rains  ;  of  vital  beings  ;  of 
fpirits  ;  Heb.  xii.  9.  of  the  animal  Adam  ;  Luke  iii.  38. 
and  of  all  men  ;  Pvlal,  ii.  10.  Prefervatlon  is  a  paternal  aft. 
He  is  alfo  the  Father  (helper)  of  the  fatherlefs  :  Redemption 
is  a  kind  of  new  creation,  and  gives  another  ground  of  pater- 
nity. Deut.  XXX.  6.  Exo.  iv.  22.  God  is  a  Father  to  con- 
firmed angels  and  regenerate  chriftians.  Eph.  iii.  15.  In 
regeneration  there  is  a  father  begetting,  children  born  of  in- 
corruptible feed,  and  the  divine  nature  communicated  ;  the 
church  is  a  mother  to  the  new  bora  wi  srid  of  her.  Gal.  iv, 
26.   Pf,  Ixxxvii.  5. 


xio  OF  GOD  THS  FATHER. 

The  regeneration  into  the  life  of  glory  conftitutcs  God  the 
Father  of  glory  to  his  children.  The  refurreflion  of  our  bodiis 
is  a  nativity  into  another  life,  and  the  faints  are  the  fons  of  God, 
being  fons  of  the  refurreftion,  and  are  begotten  again  into  a 
new  mode  of.  being.  The  laws  have  invented  a  way  by 
which  a  perfon  may  become  a  father  not  by  procreation  but 
adoption  J  chriftians  are  God's  adoptive  children.  And  God 
is  a  Father  to  all  rulers,  and  they  are  his  fons  and  children 
in  their  ftate.  Pf.  Ixxxli.  6. 

But  the  one  God  is  the  Father,  in  a  proper  appropriate  fenfe, 
of  one  individual  perfon  called  his  own,  his  only,  and  only 
hegottcn  Son,  in  a  lingular,  fupernatural  and  divine  manner. 
This  Son  is  joined  with  the  Father  in  the  form  of  baptifm,  in 
the  apofliolic  benediftion,  aqd  in  fome  doxologies.  This  Son 
never  faith  our  Father,  as  joining  himfelf  with  others,  but  viy 
Father,  as  fingularly  his  own  j  and  yet  there  are  many  whom  he  is 
not  afl:iaraed  to  call  brethren, and  rank  as  the  firft  born  among  them. 
He  faith  to  his  difciplcs,  I  afcend  to  the  own  Father  of  me,  and 
to  the  Father  of  you.  John  xx.  17.  original.  He  is  called  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father,  as  Ifaac  is  of  Abraham,  though  both 
have  other  fons  in  a  lefs  eminent  fenfe.  The  title  of  God,  as  the 
Father,  is  neither  by  creation  nor  adoption.  As  the  firfl  perfon  in 
the  Trinity  fuftains  no  higher  title  than  that  of  Father,  fo  the 
fecond  hath  no  higher  title  than  that  of  Son.  The  firft  perfon 
in  the  Trinity,  is  the  Father  of  the  »jholc  perfon  of  the  fecond 
perfon  in  the  Trinity.  And  the  preeminence  of  the  firft  per- 
fon in  the  Trinity  confifts  in  his  being  the  God  as  well  as 
Father,  of  the  Son,  Eph.  i.  3,  7.  Matt.  xxvi.  46.  who  is 
exprefsly  faid  to  have  a  God  even  where  he  is  called  God 
himfelf.  Heb.  i.  8,  9.  A  Son  cannot  be  auto  theos,  God  of 
himfelf.  If  the  Genitor  be  a  God,  he  mu ft  be  a  God  to  the 
generated  Son. 

God  is  the  Father  of  Jefus  Chrift  vpon  ^^^  accounts,  and  as 
the  foundation  of  his  pstsinity  :n  thefe  refpefts  is  different,  fb  :he 


OF  GOD  THE  FATHER. 


Hi 


tehtien  of  both  did   not  commence  at  the  fame  time.     Jefws 

was   djrn   ths  Son    of    God  by  tiaiure,  as  Chrifl  he  was  made 

the  Son  of  God  by  ofice,   John  x.  36.      The  not  diftinguifh- 

ing  thefe  two  caufes  of  the  divine   paternity,    the  one  naturdy 

and  the  other  political^    hath  occafioned  much  confufion  and 

darknefs  in  the  minds  of  divines.      And  many  have  overlooked 

the  only  natural  ground  of  paternity  in  the  Father  to  the  Son, 

and  have  fubftituted  one  in  its  place  that  never  did  exift,  and 

according  to  the  known   analogy  of  things,  never  could  exiO", 

even  that  of  an  eternal  generation  of  an  eternal  Son,      Nothing 

of  this  is  expreffed  or  even  implied  in  all  the  bible,  and  yet  the 

acknowledgment    of  an  eternal  Son  of  an  eternal  Father^  hath 

been  for  a  long  time  the  great  Shibboleth  offcholafiic  orthodoxy^ 

and  matjy  a  worthy  perfon  hath  fufFered  more  deaths  thnn  onc.% 

becaufe   he  was   not  jefuit  enough  to  believe    it  with  his  mll^ 

when   he    could  not  believe  it  v^rith    his  iinderfcandin^^^  as  the 

artful  fons  of  Loyola  dire6l  in  the  matter  of  tranfubftantiation. 

Here  the  wifdom  of  this  world  hath  operated  moft  energetically 

in  philofophy  and  fcholafticifmi 

We  are  told  that  with  refpefl  to  this  Son^  the  Deity  was 
"always  Father  as  he  was  always  God  ;"  thus  the  caufe  and 
6f!e£l:  are  coeternal,  and  to  compleat  the  abfurdity,  this  fecond 
perfon  begotten  and  born  before  all  worlds,  without  a  mother, 
iondefcended  to  be  born  in  time,  the  Son  of  man  without  a  hu» 
man  father.  The  eternal  Son  which  is  ori^fcif  takes  to  him- 
felf  "a  true  body  and  a  reafonable  foul,"  which  is  another 
perfon,  but  after  the  union  they  are  "  two  natures  and  one 
perfon  forever  ;'*  and  yet  there  is  no  convsrfion  of  one  nature 
into  the  other,  confufion  or  comraixion  of  both  in  one.  And 
by  virtue  of  a  communion  of  properties,  things  are  predicated 
of  the  whole  perfon,  which  belong  to  one  nature  only,  even 
before  the  union  of  the  natures  took  place,  which  conftitute 
^fts  p^iTon.      Dr.   Edwards  in  the   matter  of  creation   argucJ, 


112  OF  THE  SON  OF  COD. 

«  That  the  caufe  ever  precedes  the  effe£l ;  and  that  thcrefofis 
an  eternal  caufe  of  an  eternal  effe6>,  a  parte  ante,  is  abfurd  i  for 
it  is  impofiible  what  had  its  being  from  another,  fhould  be  co- 
exiftent  with  it."  This  will  hold  true  in  any  kind  of  produc 
tion.  God  therefore  is  not  "  a  mod  perfeft  eflence  confifting 
of  three  perlons"  as  Dr.  Edwards  fuppofes,  but  the  perfonal 
Father  only,  of  his  only  begotten  Son. 


CHAP.  V. 


OF     THE     SON     OF     GOt), 


Of  the  divine  imperial  Son  df  God,  in  his  perfonal  confituticn 
and  origination,  by  his  Bethkhemetical  generation,  conception^ 
and  nativity  j  which  was  not  humiliating,  but  honorary  : 
His  natures  divine  and  human^  atid  dignity  thereby  :  His 
progrefs  towards  perfeEiion,  and  the  completion  of  his  gener^' 
ative  capacity  as  God  with  God  in  the  beginning  of  the  gofpel 
epoch  or  cera, 

THIS  illuftrious  perfonage,  the  only  begotten,  and  divinely 
noble  Son  of  God,  began  his  perfonal  being  in  our  world,  by 
3  proper  generation,  conception,  and  nativity  at  Bethlehem, 
as  really  and  truly  as  John,  called  the  Baptill,  did  fix  months 
before  ;  nor  is  there  any  account  of  the  prior  exiftence  and 
a£ls  of  the  one,  any  more  than  of  the  other.  Two  Evangel- 
ifls,  Matthew  and  Luke,  begin  fo  early,  as  to  give  an  account 
of  their  perfonal  origination  ;  while  Mark  and  John  begin 
their  hiftiory  with  John  Baptifl's  Miniftry  ;  which  is  the 
gofpel  epoch  ;  in  the  beginning  of  which,  Jefus  as  the  word 
was  with  God,  and  was  God,  which  was  alfo  at  the  termination 
of  his  generative  capacity,  when  Chrift  Jefus  fubfifted  in  the 
form  of  God.  Philip,  ii.  6,  7. 


OF  tHE  SON  OF  GOD.  123 

The  two  firfl  mentioned  hiftorians  are  now  to  be  attended 
to,  and  ifcey  give  a  very  plain  and  particular  accpunt  of  the 
generation,  conceptionj  and  noble  birth  of  Jefas,  the  Son  of 
God  and  of  David,  in  the  prtparaiory  fteps  towards  it,  the 
pcrfoni  afting  therein,  from  vrhsnce  we  may  fairly  infer  the 
natures,  dignity  and  ftate  of  the  I?.oIy  Thing  born,  through 
the  whole  of  his  generative,  and  until  his  t)fEcial  capacity 
commenced.  Tjaditiort  ought  to  have  ho  place  here:  revela- 
tion is  our  only  rule  asjudgcd  of  by  reaion  common  fenlcjandlhe 
analogy  of  things, 

1.  As  to  the  generation,  coifception,  and  nativity  itfelf,  ths 
J^rjl  obfervation  is,  that  the  whole  narration  is  to  be  underflood 
&'^^rij/()',  in  oppofiticri  to  v^hat  is^^2irrt//y£',  and   metaphorical  ^ 
and    that  there  was   a  real,   proper    generation,  conception  and 
nativity;      There  is  a  h'tefal  fen (e  of  words  as  applied  to  fpirit- 
ual  ana  divine  things,  as  well  as  to   natural   things;    and  there 
inay  be  as  true,  proper,   fpiritua!,    and  divine  gener;iticn3  con- 
Ceptiori    and  nativity,     in    all  eftentialities,   as  there  can  be  id 
what  is  natural  and  human.      Generation  differs  from  creation 
in  both  the   If.odus  and  product.      In  the    "nnode   it    is    interior 
from  tiie  life  and  effence  of  the    genitor.      Creation  is  a  mode 
of  produflion  by  way  of  external  ejicieficj,'.      In  generation  the 
product  is   always    of   the    fame,  fpecies   with  the  begetter,  nor 
can  it  be  otherwife   in  nature  or   grcce  :   but  in    creation   thi 
product  h  always  a  creature.      Every  derived  being   according 
to  the  fcholadic  definition,  is  hot  a  crsiiturc  j   a  divine  genitcr 
inufl    communicate   divine    and  eternal  life    to    the    bepoften, 
iHbiigh  no  fon  can  be  eternal  a  parte  ante.      If  we  kno%v  not  the 
way  of  thefpint,  or  ho\v  the  bones  dogrov/   m  the  v/omb   of 
her  that  li  with   child  :    Eccl.   xi.  5.    yet    there    are  eertairt 
elTentialities  requifite  to  every  proper  generation,  conception, 
and  ftativity,  and  if  any    of  thefe  sre    wanting,  no  fuch  thing 
can  be. 


4  14  OF  THE  SON  OF  COD* 

2.  The  generation  wc  are  now  treating  of,  was  neither  com-* 
roon,  natural,  carnal,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  fupernatural, 
fpiritual,  and  divine.  Jefus  was  not  born  of  bcoodsj  or  of  the 
ivill  of  thejlejli,  or  of  the  will  of  man^  but  of  God,  fince  his  many 
brethren  among  whom  he  is  the  firft  born,  were  not  fo  born. 
John  i.  13.  If  coagulated  bloods  is  the  natural  foetus  formed 
in  the  womb,  "  all  men  are  made  of  one  blood,'*  Natural 
flefli  and  blood  are  in  their  own  nature  corruptible.  A6ls 
xvii.  26.  I.  Cor.  xv.  50.  Blood  is  the  life  of  animals,  and 
therefore  prohibited  to  be  eaten.  Gen.  ix.  4.  Afts  xv.  20* 
Natural  flefli  and  blood  are  not  the  proper  human  nature,  but 
animal  parts  of  men  as  the  fons  of  the  animal  Adam  ;  they 
difiinguifh  not  men  from  beafls,  or  give  them  any  preeminence 
above  beafls.  This  is  the  prefent  eftate  of  the  fons  of  men, 
that  God  might  manifeft  them.  Eccl.  iii.  18,  19,  20,  2i« 
Men  in  their  fpirits  are  God's  offspring  and  children,  and 
not  in  flefh  and  blood,  born  of  the  fathers  of  their  fiefh, 
accoiding  to  the  benedidlion  given  to  Adam  and  Eve  in  con* 
junflion,  ''  increafe  and  multiply."  Now  what  is  contended 
for  is  that  the  Holy  Thing  was  not  born  a  beafl  according  to 
ihc  prefent  common  eflate  of  the  fons  of  men.  He  was  not 
of  the  firft  Adam,  of  the  earth  earthy,  the  Virgin  knew  not 
a  man,  the  produft  of  that  nativity  was  not  man,-  or  the  fon 
of  man,  but  the  Son  of  God  born  of  a  woman.   Gal.  iv.  4. 

The  fon  of  God's  nativity  was  therefore  not  natural,  I.  Cor« 
XV.  46.  but  fpiritual.  The  proper  humanity  in  a  true  body 
and  reafonablcfoul  he  was  pofleifed  of  :  but  was  free  from  the 
animal  appendages,  and  natural  evils  men  are  fubjefted  to,  by 
their  defcent  from  the  firfl  Adam  in  the  courfe  of  nature,  fuch 
as  mortality,  corruptibility,  &c.  Didinflive  humanity  of 
nature  in  a  true  body,  doth  exifl  feparate  from  animal  flefh  and' 
blood  in  Chrifl  fince  his  rcfurreQion,  and  were  conflituitive 
*jf  his  perlon  in  conjuntiion  of  the  divine  nature,  at  his  birth. 


or  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  115 

Much  lefs  was  Jefus  born  of  the  will  of  the  flefli,  fo  as  to 
htjlejh,  of  flefh,  John  i.  13.  John  iii.  6.  but  fpirit  bom  of 
the  fpirit.  Flcfh  the  produft  offlefli  is  finfu I,  theteeiningronrcv- 
of  concupifcence  and  carnal  afFeftions,  and  is  a  vital  nature,  n? 
which  there  is  no  fpiritually  good  thing.  But  the  Hoiy 
thing  was  perfe£lly  pure,  and  entirely  free  from  the  body  cf  tlii; 
fms  of  the  Jlejh,  and  the  body  of  fin  and  death,  derived  to  the 
fons  of  men  from  their  natural  head. 

Neither  was  he  born  of  the  will  of  man. 

The  Virgin  excludes  all  concurrence  of  man,  "  how  f^iall 
this  thing  be  feeing  I  know  not  a  man  ?"  and  the  angel  in  liis 
reply  acknowledges  as  much,  "  with  God  nothing  Tnall  be 
impofTible.'*  Luke  i.  34,  37.  Jefus  was  no  ben  Adarr!,fon 
of  Adam,  but  of  God.  Nothing  which  men  are  the  caufes 
or  authors  of,  was  then  born,  in  name  or  nature.  But  thi§ 
was  fpiritual,  holy,  and  divine.  Though  He  is  called  the 
"  fruit  of  her  womb,"  yet  he  was  the  feed  of  the  woman,  and 
not  of  man.  She  was  found  rvith  child  of  the  Holy  Ghoft^ 
when  efpoufed  to  Jofeph,  bejore  they  came  together,  Matt,  i, 
i8.  Luke  i.  35.  in  confequence  of  the  Holy  Ghod's  coming 
tapon  her.  But  the  Holy  Ghoft  v^as  not  the  Father  of  Jefu^ 
anymore  than  He  is  the  Father  of  the  regenerate  who  are  born 
of  the  fpirit.  The  produft  vjzs  fpirit,  which  is  divinity  fr 
vital  fan£lity.  He  was  z  faint  of  God-kind  or  fon,  fubrrantijl 
divinity  and  eternal  life,  conftituted  the  life  or  vital  nature  of 
that  Holy  Thing  ;  and  the  power  of  the  Higheft's  oveifhadr 
owing  the  Virgin  was  the  caife  of  his  filiation  to  God.  No 
creative  agency  was  now  employed  :  God  of  his  own  holy 
virtuous  will,  begat  his  only  Son,  who  was  born  not  of  cor- 
ruptible, but  incorruptible  feed.  He  was  Deus  genitus  et  natus\ 
God  begotten  and  born.  A  divine  father  cannot  beget  a  crea- 
ture fon,  or  communicate  any  other  but  his  own  divine,  and, 
eternal  life.      We  need  no  other  proof  of  the  Son's  u.i vinitv  ol; 


iiS  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

rature,  than  that  he  zaas  the  own  proper  Son  of  a  divine  Fatlur, 
Generation  is  not  only  the  communication  of  what  hath  life,  but 
ihefcnm  life  with  that  of  the  genitor,  which  by  being  imparted 
becomes  life  in  himfetf  \o  the  generated,  his  own  conftituitivs 
vital  nature.  ''  As  the  father  hath  life  in  himfelf,  fo  He  hath 
given  fo  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himfelf.'*  If  the  Father^^ 
life  is  eternal,  fo  muft  the  Son's  be  from  henceforth  :  but  it  is 
impoffihle  a  Ion  fiiould  be  eternal  a  parte  ante,  as  alfo  that 
given  life  {liouid  be  felf  onginate.  We  never  read  of  any 
eternal  Son's  now  condejcending  to  he  bornj  or  coming  from 
heaven  to  enter  the  virgin's  womb,  or  iieing  any  ways  active 
iri  this  affaifa  The  birth  of  Jefus  is  always  exprefTci  in  the 
paHive  voice  :  nor  have  we  one  witnefs  that  an  eternal  Logos 
now  took  to  himfelf  a  true  body  and  a  reafonable  foul,  or 
aiTumed  the  human  nature,  a^  fome  fpeak,  from  groundlefs 
tradition.  An  ''eternal  Logos  or  Son,  is  one  perfon,"  and 
one  felf,  and  '*  a  true  body  and  a  reafonable  f&ul"  is  another 
perfon,  and  another  felf  ;  and  that  the  firft  of  thefe,  fliould 
take  the  fecond  into  union  with  itfelf,  and  then  that  the  twQ 
compounded  (elves  fhould  be  "two  natures  and  but  one  perfon 
forever,"  is  clear  fcholaflicifm,  and  abfurdity,  which  Thomas 
A.quinas  and  Puns  Scotus  ought  to  be  albamed  t>f.  Fifty 
natures  feparate  frorn^an  intelle£J:  do  not  make  a  perfon,  and 
one  intelle£l  may  exiil:  in  feyeral  natures,  and  yet  all  be  one 
intelligent  agent  only.  The  fpirit  of  man  may  exlft  in  the 
human  nature,  in  an  animal  nature,  and  in  the  divine  nature, 
and  be  but  one  perlon.  The  foul  of  Jefus  came  to  exifl  in  the 
human  and  divine  nature  at  his  generation,  conception  and 
birth,  but  all  conftituted  but  one  perfon,  and  neither  nature 
was  a£tive  in  taking  the  other,  nor  the  whole  perfon  in  confli- 
tuting  itr<  If.  In  the  generation  of  Jefus  the  divine  life  was  fo 
imparted  to  the  Son,  as  not  to  be  totally  fcparated  from  the 
Father's    lifC;,  as  it  is  in  creature  generations,  but  is   like  lo  4 


op  THE  SON  OF  GOD  ^i^ 

living  fir  tarn  from  a  living  fountain,  an  undivided  derivative. 
exifting  in  each  other,  and  yet  having  diftin£l  Cubfiftence,  by 
their  perfonal  intellefis  of  which  it  is  the  vital  fubflance,  and 
not  a  mere  modality  or  denomination.  The  Father  and  Son 
are  not  mere  relative  properties,  or  denominations  of  a  co-nmcr; 
eflence,  as  Sabellius  and  others  fuppofe,  for  tbefe  cannot  ?;en« 
crate  or  be  generated  but  in  their  fubje6ls. 

3.  The  generation  and  nativity  of  the  Holy  Thing  it  Beth- 
lehem, was  the  origin  of  the  perfonal  lubfiftence,  of  the  Son 
of  God,  and  of  David. 

What  thoughts  foever  any  may  have  of  thi  prior  cMiftenre 
of  the  intcUeft  of  Jefus  to  this  generation,  yet  the  Son  of  God 
had  no  pre-exiftent  perlbnal  being,  nor  are  any  fuppofed  acts  of 
that  pre-exiftent  foul,  the  afts  of  the  Holy  Thing  now  bcrr.o 
Jefus  became  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father  by  this  gensia- 
tion  and  nativity,  as  much  as  John  did,  by  his  nativity  of 
Zechariah  and  Elizabeth,  become  their  fon.  The  one  and  the 
other  were  foreordained,  but  that  precludes  aftual  being. 
I.  Peter  i.  20.  The  divine  nature  though  eternal  in  itfelf, 
formed  no  diftin£h  perfonal  fubfiftence  in  a  Son  till  now,  it 
was  not  life  given  to  be  in  himfelf,  before  this.  Much  hath 
been  written  by  jews  and  chriftians  of  the  pie-exifient  ioul 
of  the  MelTiah,  as  the  firft  of  God's  creation,  and  as  the  only 
fpirit  of  the  human  order  which  flood,  when  devils  and 
others  fell.  And  Dr.  Watts  and  Price,  ^c.  have  treated 
largely  of  it,  and  fuppofe  the  many  appearances  in  the  Oid 
Teftament  are  to  be  underftood  of  it.  But  thefe  are  not  laid 
to  be  of  Chrift,  nor  is  God  faid  to  have  fpoken  till  in  thefc 
laft  times  by  his  Son  ;  Heb.  i.  2.  in  the  Old  Teftament  time^ 
the  word  was  fpoken  by  angels,  but  the  great  lalvation  firft  began 
to  be  fpoken  by  the  Lord  Jefus  in  his  public  miniftry  ;  but  th^ 
fuppofition  of  his  giving  the  law  totally  oeftroysthe  apoftJc'i 
argument.  Heb.  ii,  1,  2,  3.      No  other   only   begoiten  Son  of 


ji8  OF  THF  SON  OF  GOD. 

God  is  mentioned  in  the  bible  befides  Jefus,  and  no  oth«r  c^ufe 
«-)f  his  filiation  by  nature  to  God,  but  his  Bethlehemetical 
generation  and  nativity.  And  if  this  pre-exiftent  foul  did 
exift,  and  was  an  agent,  his  prior  a£ls  were  not  the  a6ls  of 
Jefus  or  of  Chrift  ;  nor  will  an)^,  what  fome  call  a  communion 
or  communication  of  properties,  juftify  the  predicating  of  the 
whole,  what  belongs  to  a  part  of  his  perfon,  becaufe  there  was 
no  communion  or  communication  of  properties,  prior  to  the 
union  of  the  natures  to  which  they  belong,  and  neither  nature, 
nor  both  in  conjunftion,  is  a  diftinft  agent,  but  only  thatintel- 
leftualifl:,  which  exifls  in  thefe  natures,  and  of  whom  they  are 
the  vital  (ubflance.  To  call  an  acorn^  the  oak  it  may  grow 
into,  or  the  pillar  it  may  be  in  an  edifice,    is  improper. 

The  Holy  Thing,  after  called  Jefus,  and  the  only  begotten 
Sen  of  God,  are  one  and  the  faaie  perfon,  which  was  not  con- 
fiituted  until  this  generation  and  nativity  took  place,  and  no 
Son  of  God  before  exifted,  any  more  than  the  rib  ©ut  of  whicK 
the  woman  was  builded,  was  the  diftinft  perfon  of  Eve  while 
it  remained  in  Adam,  and  his  a£ls  were  predicable  of  her. 

4.  This  generation,  conception,  and  nativity  of  the  Holy 
Thing,  was  no  more  the  aft  of  Jefus,  than  thefe  fame  a£ls,  arc 
the  atts  of  any  other  child. 

The  above  is  oppofed  to  the  abfurd  language  of  fome,  that 
God's  Son  condefcended  to  he  born^  i.  e,  afted  to  be  pafiive  : 
that  the  eternal  Son  took  to  himfelf  a  true  body  and  a  reafonable 
foul  in  the  virgin's  v^omb  :  that  the  eternal  God  became  a 
mortal  man,  and  more  fuch  fluff.  He  was  born^  not  made  of 
a  woman,  and  his  birth  and  coming  into  the  world,  are 
dlflinguifhed,  as  pafTire  and  a£live.  Luke  i.  35.  John 
xviii.  37.  Gal.  iv.  4.  original.  How  a  child  fhould  be  an 
agent  in  his  own  generation  and  conception,  when  his  perfonal 
being  was  conflituted,  we  leave  to  profound  fcbolaflics  to 
explain.     They   who  deny  that  the  Son  of   God  came    from 


OF   THE  SON  OF  GOD.  119 

kcaven  in  his  public  miniftry,  for  want  of  witnelTcs,  when  if. 
ftiall  be  proved  that  Jefus  and  the  two  Johns  aflcrt  it,  ought 
to  bring  one  witnefs  or  one  text,  that  the  Son  of  God  now 
earae  from  heaven,  and  entered  the  virgin's  vvombj  and  fortrii'd 
what  they  call  the  hypoftatical  union, 

5.  This  generation,  conception  and  nativity,  was  of  thit 
which  is  creature-tranfccndcnt,  and  fubjcft-tranfcendent. 

Compound  words  are  here  ufed  becaule  no  other  will  exprefs 
the  idea.  A  creature  may  in  part  be  divine  by  a  participation 
of  the  divine  nature,  and  a  fubjeft  may  haVc  rule  over  fallow 
fubjefts,  and  even  fuperiors  to  himfelf  in  feme  refpeds.  The 
divine  efTence,  nature,  or  life,  for  thefe  are  the  fame,  is  but  one 
in  God  and  in  all  holy  beings,  who  partake  of  it  derivatively 
from  Him.  They  are  with  God  and  Chrift,  even  as  He  and 
the  Father  are  one,  the  fan6lificr  and  the  fanftified  are  all  of  one* 
John  xvii.  22.  Hcb.  ii.  2.  There  is  no  fpecinc  difference, 
nor  effential  difference,  if  efTince,  life,  and  nature,  are  thi  fainCi 
We  affirm  farther  that  ail  fpirits  as  fpirits  are  of  one  nature, 
phyfically  confidered,  with  only  a  gradual  difference.  But 
neither  faints  nor  fpirits  are  creature^tranfcendent.  Creature* 
may  exift,  without  rational  fpirits  ;  and  fpirits  may  exifl  with- 
out the  divine  nature,  as  vye  fee  in  devils  and  the  unregenerate  ; 
the  divine  nature  is  net  conflituitive  of  the  whole  of  their 
perfonal  being* 

Now  as  to  Jefus,  we  fuppofe  his  fpirit  which  ifTued  from  th^?- 
father  of  (pirits  in  a  way,  lime,  and  manner,  to  us  unknown,  w»^ 
the  firfl  of  all  fpirits,  and  as  to  fan£lity  or  divinity  of  nature, 
the  Holy  Jefus  never  did,  and  cannot  exift  without  it.  This  ere- 
ature-tranicendency    is  involved  m  that   appropriate  title,  ths 

ONLY  BEGOTTEN  SON  OF    GOD. 

Confidering  Shunts,  as  regenerate  he  is  the  firfi:  bcrn  amor*)5 
«i;iny  brethrenj  as  one  of  thdr /pedes,  a  faint  of  God  kind  of 
•S-j^t,  they  are  n  born  cf  th^!8ft?2c  Spirit  he  vvasi.?r«.     He  :s  i>«.^ 


120  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD, 

Father  of  eternal  life  to  thenij  and  they  are  his  feed  he  Was  to  fee 
ias  the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  his  foul,  and  the  children  he  will 
prefent  to  the  Father.  Ka,  ix.  6.1iii.  lo.  Heb.  ii.  13.  But  as 
the  only  begotten^  he  hath  a  natural  preeminence  to  Creatures  5 
He  is  not  of  their  party;  and  hath  no  compeer  among  angels  01' 
human  faints,  to  none  of  whom  did  God  aver  fay,  ''  tboU  art  my 
fen,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee."  The  holy  King  was/upe- 
rior  to  angels,  not  lower^  when  he  was  born,  and  lay  in  the 
manger. 

Again,  this  Is  the  generation  of  what  vJas/ubjeSi-tranfcendent^ 
divinely  royal  and  imperial, 

God  £s  asking,  the  divine  majefty,  the  higheft,  or  moH  high,- 
begat  his  ioiperiai  Ton  and  h^ir.  He  was  born  the  divine  fon 
the  King,  not  of  the  fubjecl  party  in  God's  kingdom,  any 
tncrs  than  he  was  of  the  creatute  party  in  God's  creation. 

By  his  virgin  mother  he  is  of  the  royal  family  of  David.  In 
th^  prophets  he  is  called  the  "  branch  of  Jehovah,"  and  •'  the' 
righteous  Branch  of  David."  The  branch  mud  be  like  its  root. 
He  was  a  Hem  of  ancient  royalty,  of  the  royal  family  of  Judah 
XV ho  derived  his  pedigree  from  ancient  kings  ♦  This  is  the 
meaning  of  his  *'  goings  forth  being  of  old,  from  everlading." 
Mic.  v.  2.  Some  indeed  underftand  this  of  their  favorite  eter» 
nal  generation,  but  St.  Malhew  applies  it  to  the  temporal  birth 
of  Jefus,  leaving  out  the  laft  words,  which  only  mean  that  he 
as  then  born  was  from  ancient  kings.  Or  that  his  goings  forth 
in  the  divine  foreordination  were  before  the  world  was,  which 
is  2s  from  everlafting.    Matt,  i:,  26.  1.  Pet,  1  20. 

Here  muft:  be  noticed  a  material  diflinftion  between  the 
vealperfonat  and  real  political  birth  of  a  king.  A  Ton  cannot 
be  born  a  God  from  a  God,  a  King  from  a  King,  in  the  fnlnefs 
of  regal  power,  any  more  than  a  man  can  be  born  from  a  man 
pienarily,  with  all  man  like  perfonal  oerfeftions.  When  the 
arge's  fpcok    of  Jefus  as  "  born  Chrift  the  Lord,"  it  exprefies 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  Hi 

i^rhat  be  was  to  be,  not  what  he  then  was.  There  was  no  irl- 
veftfture  in  his  offices  at  his  birth.  The  child  born,  was  not 
fz/on  given  till  afterwards,  much  lefs  was  the  government  upon, 
his  (houlder,  or  He  the  everlafting  Father,  wonderful,  counfeU 
lor,  the  mighty  God,  or  the  prince  of  peace,  Ifa.  ix.  6.  Thefe 
are  after  titles,  and  none  but  the  firft,  a  child  born,  predicable  of 
him  at  his  birth.  Any  one  who  foreknew  what  Jofeph  was  to 
be,  might  juft  as  well  fay  at  his  birth,  "  This  child  is  in  the 
field,  and  in  Dotham,  in  the  pit,  in  the  dungeon,  and  riding  in 
the  fecond  chariot  in  Egypt  at  the  fame  time."  Jefus  was  mad© 
Chrifl;  at  his  baptifm,  Lord  and  king  at  his  refurre6lion  ;  his 
Coronation  day  was  his  birth  d^y  as  a  king,  Adis  xiii.  33,  Pf. 
ii.  6,  7.  Heb.  i.  5. 

The  angel  tells  his  virgin  mother  that  the  Lord  Go^  Jhould 
give  him  the  throne  of  his  father  David,  as  what  was  future. 
As  to  what  fome  call  his  eflential  power  and  government,  they 
cannot  belong  to  a  child  born  :  and  his  official  capacity  did  no 
tnore  commence  at  his  birth,jthan  John  the  Baptifl's  did  at  his. 
His  being  horn  is  not  his  coming  into  the  world  ;  John  xviii, 
3-7.  the  fulnefs  of  time  was  not  yet  come,  nor  was  any  Son 
given,  fan£lifiedj  fealed,  or  fent  of  God  at  that  time  :  Chrift 
was  yet  to  come. 

6.  The  divine  and  royal  nativity  of  the  Son  of  God,  arid  of 
David,  vfzs  honorary,  and  ennobling. 

It  was  no  humiliating  or  condefc^nding  aft  of  His,  or  any 
ways  humiliating  or  degrading  to  Him.  He  was  indeed  bora 
an  infant  God  and  King  in  human  form^  and  fubjeft  to  the 
progrefs  of  nature  towards  perfeftion,  which  is  an  unavoidable 
attendant  on  every  birth.  It  was  honored  by  heaven  variou^ 
^ays.  if  it  be  an  hcnor  to  be  a  God  2nd  Kingj  it  muft  be  am 
honor  and  dignity  to  be  born  the  Son  and  Heir  of  the  Mod^ 
High.  David  thought  it  ennobling  to  be  only  the  fon-in-laW 
of  an  c?rthly  king  :   how  much  more  honorable  niuft  it  be,  td 

Q 


t&2.  OF  THE  SON  or  GOD. 

be  the  reai  only  begotten  Son  and  Heir  of  Heaven's  Divine 
Majefly  ?  His  generation  and  nativity  was  no  more  his  humil- 
iating att  or  humiliating  to  him,  than  our  regeneration  is  ours, 
when  we  become  the  fons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty, 
And  who  ever  thought  that  to  be  his  condefcenfion  at>d  diC- 
grace  ?  Every  birth  is  attended  with  fomething  of  natural 
imperfetlion,  they  are  babes,  in  minority,  dependent  on  parents, 
fubjeft  to  a  natural  progrefTion  towards  perfe£lion,  under  gov- 
ernors and  tutors,  and  fo  differing  nothing  from  a  iervant. 
This  is  unavoidable  to  the  Heir  who  is  to  be  Lord  of  all. 
Gai.  iv,  1,  2.  The  regenerate  are  firft  babes  in  Chrift,  and 
progreffively  grow  up  to  the  ftature  of  peifccl  men.  Thus 
Jems  grczu  up  to  be  God,  n^as  with  Godj  and  Jtibfijitd  in  the  form 
of  God,  at  the  termination  of  bfs^fenerative  capacity. 

n.  A  defcription  of  the  agency  of  the  parties  concerned  in 
this  generation,  conception,  and  nativity,  will  farther  illuf- 
trate  it. 

The  Lord  God  the  Highefl,  the  Father  of  the  Holy  Thing, 
is  the  firft  agent.  And  his  agency  is  intimated  feveral  ways. 
T^&pozuer  of  Highefl's  overfhadowing  the  Virgin,  is  the  caufc 
of  the  Holy  Thing's  being  the  Son  of  God.  Luke  i.  35.  At 
this  time,  and  by  this  means,  the  relations  of  paternity  and  filia- 
tion were  conftituted,  by  an  a£l  of  the  Father's  holy  virtuous 
will.  The  divine  nature,  effence  or  life,  for  they  are  the  fame, 
were  now  giver,  to  the  Son  to  be  in  himfelf,  conflituting  Him 
a  Son.  See  what  is  written  in  the  firft  chapter  concerning 
the  divine  nature.  The  Deity  is  the  God  and  Father  of  all 
fpirits  phyfically  confidered,  and  there  is  only  a  grad- 
ual^ not  a  fpecific  difference  between  them.  The  fpirit  of 
Jelus  did  not  now  begin  to  be,  any  more  than  the  fpirit  doth 
jn  human  generations,  or  in  the  regcneiation  of  chriftians. 
Mere  phyfical  fpiriluality  is  not  the  divme  nature,  as  we  fee 
in  devils. 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD  123 

By  the  divine  nature  we  mean  the  life  and  conflitution  of 
Cod,  as  God,  and  this  isfanEtity,  the  vital fubjlance  in  which  his 
infinite  intelleEl  exijls.  The  vital  effence  of  God,  is  divine  and 
eternal  life,  light  and  love.  The  Father  hath  this  in  hiraleif, 
•f  himfelf,  or  from  none,  and  othet  beings  who  partake  of  it, 
do  fo  by  derivation  from  him.  I:  is  an  infinite  ocean  of  vital 
fanBity,  and  is  impeiial  as  well  as  vital  ;  for  it  is  the  dignity  as 
well  as  the  life  of  the  divine  majefty,  who  is  '^  glorious  or  mag- 
nificent in  kolinefs.** 

Now,  the  divine  nature,  in  both  the  above  fen fcs,  was  com- 
municated in  this  generation  to  the  Holy  Thing,  in  a  divine 
manner,  and  creature-tranfcendent  degree.  It  is  what  belongs 
tone  creature  neceffarily,  but  it  is  necefTarily  the  life  of  God, 
and  of  Jefus  by  his  Father's  gift.  The  incorruptible  f:ed  of 
God,  was  the  vital  fubftance  of  the  Holy  Thing  born.  A  fern- 
piternal  principle  of  divine  vitality,  as  joined  to  his  intelleft 
and  the  human  nature,  conflituted  his  perfon,  as  fubjeft  to  the 
progrefs  of  nature  towards  perfe6lion.  If  all  the  fulnefs  of 
the  God  head  dwelt  in  him  bodily,  it  mufl:  be,  ad  modv.vi  red- 
pientis,  according  to  the  capacity  of  the  recipient.  The  divine 
cffence  comprehenfively  as  the  fountain,  is  God's  abfolutely,  who 
by  its  communication  becomes  a  Father,  and  the  Father  of  the 
Holy  Thing  exifling  by  fuch  communication,  but  in  a  f  rider 
notion,  it  is  the  Father's  retained  life  in  himfelf,  after  he  hath 
given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himfelf.  In  the  firft  (enle  it 
comprifeth  the  Son's  efTence,  and  the  Father's  own  perfonai 
eHence  alfo,  becaufe  there  can  be  no  efTence  in  the  God-head 
which  is  not  the  Father's  as  the  one  God.  And  yet  the  Father's 
retained  perfonai  life,  is  not  the  Son's  given  or  derived  life. 
This  derived  life  is  fo  imparted,  as  not  to  be  divided  from  the  life 
of  the  one  God,  but  is  an  undivided  derivative  from  that  as  a 
fountain,  and  yet  has  a  didinft  fubfiflence  in  itfelf,  as  a  livincr 
/Ircamfrom  a  living  fountain.     As  the  livinjg   ftream  exjAs  in 


324  «5^  TMF  SON  OF  GOD. 

and  by  its  fountain,  To  the  fountain  dwells  in  the  ftream  as  its 
fource  :  thus  the  Father  and  the  Son  dwell  in  each,  and  pre- 
serve their  perfonal  diftindnefsy  [o  that  the  perfonal  a6ls  and 
fufFerings  of  the  one,  are  not  the  perfonal  a6ls  cr  fufferings  of 
the  other.  And  this  perfonal  diflinftnefs  is  preferved  by  their 
intelle£i;s  exifting  in  the  one,  in  the  divine  nature,  the  primitive^ 
and  in  the  other  m  the  divine  nature  the  ddrivative  :  the  former 
is  the  Father-s,  the  latter  is  the  Son's  life  and  efifence.  The 
Son  by  this  generation  having  diilin£l  divine  perfonal  exiftence, 
was  Life  of  Life,  Light  of  Light,  Spirit  of  Spirit,  Love  of 
Love,  God  of  God,  in  his  nature  and  effence.  As  the  image 
is  the  derivative  from  the  exemplar  :  fo  the  Son  is  "  the 
engraved  image  of  his  Father's  perfon."  Jieb,  i.  3,  This 
elTence  the  image,  in  this  generation,  is  vital,  and  fubflantlal, 
end  yet  without  any  divifion,  and  with  fuch  diftinftnefs  a$ 
united  to  the  Son's  intelleft,  as  to  conftitute  perfonality, 
whereby  a  diPcinfl  individual  fubflance  of  a  diftinft  individual 
intelleflualifl;,  and  not  a  mere  modality  or  denomination  "is  de- 
rived from  the  one  God.  The  Son  may  be  allowed  to  be  co- 
eflential  and  confubflantial  with  the  Father,  if  fcholaftics  choofe 
thefe  terms,  but  coeternity  a  parte  ante,  and  cocquality  in  power 
and  glory,  are  repugnant  to  the  nature  of  things,  and  to  th« 
primacy  of  the  Father  as  the  one  God,  Self,  or  necelTary  ex- 
iftence, abfolute  eternity  a  parte  ante,  original,  underived  power 
and  glory,  can  never  belong  to' a  Son,  any  more  than  underived 
exiftence  can. 

The  Son  was  alfo  by  this  generation  of  the  divine  imperial 
edence,  fince  God  as  effentially  King  begat  lus  fon  and  Heir. 
But  though  a  king's  Ion  and  heir,  is  the  King  the  Son,  yet  he 
is  invefted  with  no  aftual  government  by  his  perfonal  nativity. 
He  is  not  of  tlio  fubjeft  party,  and  yet  is  fubje£l  to  the  fole 
reigning  fathcrasevery  dutiful  fon  will  and  ought  to  be.  The  fon 
ths  Kirj,  is  exempted  from  th:  rule  of  all  but  the  Father  alone. 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  ,25 

a.  The  next  agent  concerned  In  the  nativity  of  Jefus  h  the 
Holy  Ghoft. 

The  Holy  Ghoft  is  faid  to  come  upon  the  virgin,  a  com- 
mon ejipreflion,  when  he  applies  himfelf  to  any  work  of 
fanftity,  relative  to  them  on  whom  he  comes,  or  fails.  She  is 
therefore  faid  to  be  with  "  child  of  the  holy  Ghofl."  Matt. 
i.  18.  In  the  apoftle's creed  he  is  faid  to  be  '•  conceived  of  the 
Holy  Ghoft  :"  fome  other  creeds  fay,  "  he  was  born  of  the 
Holy  Ghoft  and  the  Virgin.*'  But  as  the  power  of  the  Hi^hejfj 
was  the  caufe  of  the  Holy  Thing's  being  the  Son  of  God,  and  no 
creative  aft  was  now  exerted,  and  as  neither  Jefus  nor  chriftians 
are  the  fon's  or  creatures  of  the  Holy  Ghoft  by  being  born  of 
the  Spirit  :  fome  other  agency  muft  be  afcribed  to  the  Holv 
Ghoft  than  what  is  generative,  or  creative.  The  Holy  Ghoft 
is  to  be  conftdered  as  an  irifpir ation  agerit,  or  in/miration  virtue^ 
And  whether  he  is  to  be  taken  here  perfonally  ovimperfonally,  it  is 
probable  all  the  influence  was,  to  enable  the  virgin  to  beeome  a 
Mother  without  the  concurrence  of  man,  uniting  the  conflitucnt 
parts  of  the  Holy  Thing,  and  JanEtijying  the  Jruit  of  lizr  womb. 
By  the  Holy  Ghoft  God  finifhes  or  completes  his  works  of 
vital  fan6tity  :  fpiritality,  if  the  word  may  be  ufed,  is  his  kind 
9f  thing.  Here  was  fpirit  born  of  fpirit,  and  not  flefh  born  of 
the,  will  of  the  fledi. 

3.  The  other  party  concerned  was  the  Virgin  Mary,  the 
mother  of  the  Holy  Thing  born,  called  the  Son  of  God, 

Mary  the  fame  with  Miriam  was  a  common  female  natne 
among  the  Jews  :  but  this  highly  favored  and  bleued  among 
women,  is  diftinguifhed  from  others  by  being  efpoufed  to  a  man 
named  Jofeph,  and  efpecially  as  fhs  was  the  mother  of  the  Son 
of  God,  and  yet  a  virgin  :  iov  Jhc  knew  not  a  man^  and  Jefus 
was  born  before  Jcfeph  and  Mary  came  together.  Her  being  a 
virgin  is  of  lingular  note,  becaufe  the  predictive  curfe  upon 
ihe    ferpcnt    is    the.:    the  feed  of  the  wcman  fhould    bruife  /;;> 


t^e  ©F  THE  SOK  OF  GOD. 

k^ad  :  And  the  famous  prophecy  of  Ifaiah  that  "  a  virgin 
fhall  conceive  and  bear  a  fon,  and  call  his  name  Emmanuel." 
Ifa.  vii.  17.  The  former  of  thefe  is  never  quoted  in  the 
New  Teftament,  it  being  no  gofpcl  preached  to  man  as  Luther 
fuppofed,  or  promife  made  to  man,  but  a  curie  pronounced 
upon  the  ferpcnt,  eflablifhtng  his  doom  :  but  the  latter  is  ap- 
plied to  Jefus,  whofe  name  is  equivalent  to  Emmanuel,  being 
Jah  prefixed  to  Ofhea,  which  fignifies  the  Divine  Savior,  of 
the  fame  import  as  God  with  us. 

Modern  Jews  have  tried  to  give  another  turn  to  this  text 
by  underftanding  Alma  to  fignify  any  young  woman,  but  th« 
ancient  Jews,  and  the  relations  of  the  words  and  the  wonder 
of  the  fign  given  by  God  himfelf,  will  juftify  our  underftand- 
fng  it  of  a  proper  virgin  who  knew  not  a  man.  It  was  never 
fulfilled  in  any  but  Mary,  and  was  literally  fulfilled  in  her, 
who  was  a  virgin  when  efpoufed  to  Jofeph,  and  fo  continued 
until  Jefus  was  born.  Bat  whether  fhe  fo  rem.ained  ever  after 
we  leave  to  Francifcans  and  Dominicans  to  difpute. 

But  this  is  certain,  marriage  is  honorable  in  all,  and  the  bed 
undefiled,  and  no  paft  a6ls  in  that  relation  could  prejudice  the 
virginity  of  M.\ry  when  the  Holy  Thing  was  begotten,  con- 
ceived, and  born.  Her  maternal  acls  were  a  proper  conception^ 
progreffive  nutrition^  Luke  i.  42,  and  aSiual  parturition.  It  was 
expedient  that  he  fhould  be  human  divine  in  his  natures,  and 
no  defcendant  from  the  animal  Adam,  fubjeft  to,  or  involved 
in,  any  of  his  evils.  The  honor  put  upon  this  bleffed  Maid 
entitles  her  toefteem  and  blefTing  from  all  generaiions,  but  not 
to  worfhip.  Jefus  was  born  of  a  woman,  that  being  of  the 
one  fex^  anddefcended  from  the  other,  He  might  lave  both  men 
and  women.  Now  the  unjuft  reproach  is  wiped  ofl  from  that 
worthy  part  of  our  fpecies,  which  hath  been  cad  upon  them 
by  fons  of  Adam  and  Eve,  becaufe  the  latter  being  deceived,  was 
firft  in  the  tranfgrenion,  when  Adam   not   beguiled,  yet  alfo 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  127 

tranfgrefTed.  They  may  now  hold  up  their  heads,  as  more  of 
good  hath  come  by  one  of  iheiry^A;  than  of  evil amehy  another. 
And  to  the  honor  of  females,  it  is  noted,  that  to  them  Jel'us 
firfl  appeared  after  his  refurreclion,  as  they  had  been  fleady  at- 
tendants upon  him  in  his  miniftry  ;  and  they  have  been  more 
generally  friends  r.fChrifh  and  his  religion  than  men.  Few  or  none 
have  denied  his  revelation  or  divinity,  and  more  in  proportion 
have  embraced  and  adorned  the  chnftian  profefTion.  Sc:ldom 
is  the  woman  an  hinderance  to  the  man's  being  a  chriftian,  but 
jatherahelp  thereunto:  while  often  hath  the  woman  to  en- 
counter the  temptation  to  infidelity  from  the  man,  and  to  follow 
Chrift  without  him. 

III.  The  natures,  dignity,  flate,  and  chancer  of  the  Son  of 
God  and  of  David,  as  a  child  born,  before  he  was  a  Son  given, 
remain  to  be  coqfidered,  in  order  to  the  full  underflanding  of 
him  in  his  perfonal,  generative  capacity. 

As  the  angel  announced  to  the  Virgin  that  the  Holy  thing 
to  be  born  of  her  fhould  be  calkd,  Luke  1.32.  John  iii.  1.  (o 
he  really  was  the  Son  of  God  the  Higheft.  He  hath  been 
proved  to  be  divine  by  nature,  the  Holy  Son  and  Heir  of  the 
Divine  Majefty  by  the  communication  of  the  divine  vital  and 
imperial  elfence.  If  God  wdisjicrile,  and  the  divine  nature  had 
not  a  power  of  fecundity,  there  never  could  have  been  any  firll 
born  Son,  who  is  divine  and  imperial  only,  or  many  brethren 
who  are  creatures  and  fubjeEis  alfo, 

Jcfus  alio  had  the  human  nature  as  condituitive  of  his  one 
perlon.  By  the  human  nature  we  underRand  nothing  now 
all  common  to  men,  that  God  might  manifeft  th«m,  and  to  beaft. 
Eccl.  iii.  18.  &c.  This  Holy  Thing  was  not  born  a  beaft  as 
the  children  of  Adam  arc  in  their  prefent  eftate,  with  relpeft 
to  all  that  the  fathers  of  their  flefh  are  the  authors  of.  The 
offspring  of  God  the  father  of  fpirits,  the  children  partakers  of 
flclh  and    blood,  are  Hot   fo  denominated   from    the  {1^0*  and 


128  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

blood  they  are  the  partakers  of  :  for  that  is  animal  and  corrupti* 
ble,  the  creature  fubjeft  to  vanity,  and  the  bondage  of  corrup- 
tion. Heb.  li.  14.  Rom.  viii.  19.  &c.  And  certainly  this 
was  not  the  eftate  of  the  Holy  Thing  at  his  birth.  Yet  he  had 
proper  humanity  of  nature  in  a  true  body  and  a  reafonable  foul* 
In  this  true  body  he  was  diftinguifhed  from  angels,  as  he  is  now 
fmce  his  refurreftion  in  a  body  of  flefh  and  bones.  Lukexxiv* 
39,  Neither  the  divine  nor  human  nature  are  intelledlualifts, 
but  in  them  the  intellect  of  Jefus  exifted,  and  they  are  vital 
fubftances  neceffary  there-with  to  conflitute  perfonality,  but 
are  no  agents  of  themielves. 

His  dignity  was  that  of  Son  and  Heir,  even  though  in  infan- 
cy, minority,  and  fubjeftion  to  a  progreflion  towards  perfeftion* 
But  He  could  not  be  born  a  God  from  a  God  plenarily,  nor 
3  King  from  a  King  with  regal  authority.  No  heir  of  a  king 
can  be  pofTefTed  of  royal  power  while  his  father  lives  but  by 
appointment.  Heb,  i.  1.  The  great  Jehovah  cannot  die.  But 
though  this  child  born  could  not  have  all  human  divincj 
perfonal  and  royal  perfeftions  at  once,  yet  he  had  the  natures  and 
elTenccs  of  them  :  and  he  grew^  waxed  flrong  infpirit  a-nd  increaf- 
ed  injiature  and  zoifdom.  The  eflentialities  of  humanity  and 
divinity,  were  in  him /aninalfy  by  his  generatiori  and  concep- 
tion, and  complete^,  though  in  muiiature^  by  and  at  his  births 
Great  things  may  grow  out  of  fmall  under  the  influence  of  the 
God  of  nature  and  of  grace.  "  The  ftone  cut  out  of  the 
mountain  v/ithout  hands  may  fill  the  whole  earth."  Dan.  ii.  34* 
Being  born  of  a  woman  an  helplefs  infant  in  human  form,  he 
jieeded  food,  cloathing  and  proteftion,  as  other  children.  Every 
one  will  own  the  incorruptible  feed  of  God  is  unperifhable,  as 
alfo  the  immortal  fpirit  of  man  :  the  human  bodv  alone  of  Jefus 
could  be  hurt,  and  it  may  v\'ell  be  quellioned  how  far  that 
could  be  injured,  or  whether  it  could  be  injured  at  all,  being 
fpirit  born  of  fpirit,   and  if  liable  to  any  external  violence,  \* 


OF  THE  SOM  OF  GOD.  19^ 

muf\:b&  (iS  the fruii  of  the  virgin's  womb.  The  attempt'  of 
PIcrod  to  kill  hira,  and  the  coramjnd  of  God  to  Jofer^h  to  Acs 
into  Egypt,  argue  nothing  agafnft  the  above  fuppofition  ;  becaufi 
God  could  hsve  prote£led  him  from  Herod  there,  if  he  was  lij*. 
ble  to  external  violence  :  but  it  was  not  wholly  the  fe.ir  of  Horod's 
power,  or  the  liability  of  the  young  child  to  his  yiolsoce,  that 
caufed  that  movement,  but  the  fulfilment  ofa  piophecy.  He 
was  truly  a  middle  perl'on  between  Gud  and  men,  exclufive  of 
*he  animal  nature  of  men,  without  any  imperfeclioa  or  deficien- 
ey  excepting  what  is  unavoidable^in  minority. 

As  to  the  extent  of  the  capacity  of  the  fpirit  of  man,  we  ar« 
but  imperfc6l  judges  :  we  lee  how  far  it  hath  reached  in  a 
Locke,  Newton,  Milton,  &c.  And  if  the  fpirit  of  Jefus  was 
the  firfl  in  degree,  time  and  capacity,  ot  all  derived  fpirits,  in 
the  human  and  divine  natures-  now  united  to  it,  it  might  be 
capable  «»f  infinite  progrelTion,  as  his  i^Qv^ongrew^waxedftrong  in 
Jpirit,  Jpirii  born  of  fpirit,  increaftiig  in  wifdoin  as  in  Jiature.  Luka 
ii.  40,  52.  The  wifdom  was  not  of  this  world,  but  heavenly  : 
not  fuch  as  reafon,  fleih  and  blood,  or  man  teacheth,  but  fuch 
as  is  of  God.  When  twelve  years  old,  the  time  when  children 
took  upon  them  the  yoke  of  religion  iifiiong  the  Jews,  he  was 
found  in  the  mldft  of  their  do6lors,  hearing  them,  and  ali4.ii)g 
them  queftions,  to  the  aflonifhment  of  all  that  heard  him  at  his 
ufiderftanding  and  anfwcrs.  Both  the  divine  and  human  na- 
ture in  bim  enabled  him  to  make  great  progrefs  in  fanQity  and 
the  knowledge  of  the  holy,  and  to  be  fdled  with  the  fulnefs 
©f  God  in  proportion  to  the  capacity  of  the  recipient.  As  he 
tarried  behind  at  Jerufalem  unbeknown  to  his  parents,  to  bs 
examined  by  the  dodors,  or  rather  to  examine  them  :  J ofeph 
and  Mary  miuing  him,  returned  to  find  hiai,  and  finding  him 
chid  him  for  putting  them  to  fo  much  concern  and  trouble. 
*'  Behold,"  i^sith  his  mother,  "  thy  father  and  I  have  fought 
thee   forrowlng."      His  anfwct   ij:;Iaconic,  bat  pregnant  wiik 


130  Ob  THE  SOM  OF  GOD. 

more  fenfc  than  fhe  then  underftood,  or  many  have  fuppofid 
fince  to  be  in  it.  "  He  faid  unto  them,  how  is  it,  that  ye  fought 
me  r  ivift  ye  not  that  I  muft  be  about  my  Father's  bufincls  ?" 
"But  they  under  flood  riot  the  faying  which  he  fpakc  unto  them," 
as  others  have  not  after  all  the  confequent  explanations  of  it, 
"And  he  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth,  and  wis 
fubjed  unto  them.  But  his  mother  kept  all  thefc  fayings  ia 
hf.r  heart :  and  Jefus  increafed  in  wifdom  and  ftaturc,  and  in 
favor  with  God  and  man/*  We  read  no  more  of  Jefus  for 
eighteen  years,  even  until  his  public  miniftry  commenced, 
when  he  began  to  be  about  thirty  years  of  age.  Among  the 
few  -who  have  thought  of  this  matter,  it  hath  puzzled  thera 
how  to  account  for  fo  long  filencc,  in  four  Evangelifts 
who  undertook  to  write  his  life,  as  to  the  better  half  of  it. 
To  fill  up  this  fpace,  tradition,  that  dernier  refort,  hath  been 
recurred  to,  and  with  its  common  ill  fuccefs.  The  tradition  is 
this,  upon  the  credit  of  Juftin  Martyr  :  "  That  Jefus  lived 
retired  with  Jofeph,  learned  and  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  or  that  fpecies  of  it  making  ox  yokes,  to  be  a  pattern  to 
all  children  in  induflry,  fubje£lion  to  parents,  and  providing 
for  thtra  in  their  ftraii^.''  Origen,  a  father  lefs  credulous,  of 
fuperior  capacity,  and  furnifhed  with  equal  means  of  informa- 
tion, denies  the  tradition,  but  how  he  folves  the  difficulty,  we 
know  not.  But  as  neither  of  them  had  any  perfonal  knowledge 
of  the  matter,  nor  any  other  authentic  revelation  than  we  have, 
we  are  at  leafl  as  good  judges  as  they  were,  from  reafon,  fcripture. 
md  the  analogy  of  things. 

As  on  the  determination  of  this  matter,  we  fuppofe  the 
honor  of  Jefus  is  depending,  as  well  as  the  clearing  up  many 
paffages  of  fcripturc  concerning  him,  and  the  tradition  itfelf, 
hath  folely  the  contradiflion  of  fmners  againft  himfelf,  for  its 
ground  :  it  ought  to  have  a  fair  difcuflion  that  the  reader  may 
judge  of  himfelf  what  is  right  :  and  cfpccially  as  the  truth  of 
the  heavenly  miflion  of  Jefus  depends  upon  it. 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GO© 


3^ 


It  appears  to  be  a  groundlcfs  inconfiftcnt  old  wives  fable, 
diflionorary  to  the  Son  of  God  and  of  David,  when  it  is  con- 
fidered  that  he  was  no  Son  of  Adara,  or  fubjeft  to  get  his 
bread  by  the  fweat  of  his  face  :  and  was  defignated  for  the 
kigheft  office  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  it  was  needful  for 
him  to  be  otherwife  employed  to  qualify  him  for  it :  and  as  to 
the  fuppofed  example  of  induflry  and  providing  for  the  flraits 
of  parents  :  we  have  no  account  either  of  their  poverty,  or  his 
filial  piety  in  that  particular.  If  he  had  been  eighteen  years 
at  work  diligently,  he  might  have  had  forae  property,  and 
where  to  have  lain  his  head  in  his  public  miniftry  :  and  be- 
ing  fo  ufed  to  manual  labor,  we  might  have  read  of  his  putting 
his  hand  to  fome  work,  in  his  ftraits,  which  we  "^ver^A 
throughout  his  life.  Was  he  fo  bufy  all  this  time  atil.i.; 
trade,  as  never  to  appear  in  the  temple,  where  all  males  wOg 
obliged  to  be  three  times  a  year  ?  or  if  therCy  never  to  fay  or  do 
any  thing  worthy  of  record  ?  to  oppofe  thefe  valid  reafons, 
we  have  only  fome  ignorant  and  malicious  queftions  evidently 
defigned  to  deftroy  his  ufefulnefs,  as  his  anfwer  implies,  "  Is 
not  this  the  carpenter,  is  not  this  the  carpenter's  Ton  ?'*  Matt. 
3ciii.  55»  56,  Mark  xi.  3.  Thefe  cr  others  faid,  <'  V.-t  was  a 
gluttonous  man,  a  wine  bibber,  and  a  friend  to  publicans  and 
linners.  Matt.  xi.  19.  Let  both  be  believed  or  neither,  as 
they  (land  upon  the  fame  ground  of  ignorance,  malice  and  i'pitc. 
But  when  we  look  upon  the  other  fide  we  fee  fcripture  and 
reafon.  His  anfwer  to  his  Mother,  "  wifl  ye  not  that  I  muft 
be  about  my  Father's  bufinefs  ?"  hath  another  meaning  than 
that  he  was  in  future  to  be  employed  by  Jofeph,  who  was 
not  his  father,  in  making  ox  yokes. 

His  mother  never  fuppofed  this,  though  flic  did  not  under- 
ftind  him,  but,  "  kept  thefe  fayings  in  her  heart,"  for  after 
difcoveries.  If  he  was  after  this  fijbjeft  to  his  parents,  it  was 
•nly  fo  far  as    this  other  bufinels  permitted.     He  had  nothing; 


J 32  ©F  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

to  do  or  to  learn  farther  on  earth,  but  while  here,  he  was  "in  favor 
with  Godj  and  with  man,"  fo  far  and  long  as  mau  knew  him. 
The  Koly  Jefus  was  in  his  minority  training  up  for  ufefulnefs 
in  piety,  and  fubje6tion  to  parents,  and  is  therein  a  fit  pattern 
for  youth  to  follow.  But  when  the  time  of  his  native  fervi- 
tude  under  governors  and  tutors,  as  appointed  by  the  Father, 
w^as  out,  we  find  him  by  an  elTential  remove  aftually  in  heaven 
with  G<)d,  under  his  divine  inflruciion  and  tuition.  He  wss 
to  be,  and  a6lually  was,  a  teacher  fent  from  God,  to  declare  and 
teftify,  what  he  had  feen,  heard,  or  learned  of  him,  and  to  repeat 
commandments  from  his  mouth.  Some  prophets  were  trained 
up  in  fchools  or  colleges  under  eminent  maflers,  fuch  as  Elijah 
and  Elifhi,  but  Jefus  was  defigned  to  be,  and  was  a  prophet 
above  cU,  as  coming  Jrom  above,  not  at  his  birth,  but  in  his 
mifiion. 

We  may  account  for  this  afcentional  remove  as  eafily  as  for 
that  of  Enoch  or  Elijah,  or  his  own  after  refurreflion. 

But  here  the  great  cry  is,  why  have  we  no  witneffes  of  this  f 
The  queRion  comes  with  an  ill  grace  from  thofe  who  put  it, 
and  {hews  the  blinding  influence  of  traditional  prejudice. 
They  believe  an  eternal  Logos  or  Son,  defcended  from  heaven, 
entered  the  virgin's  womb,  and  condefcended  to  be  born. 
Surely  fo  great  an  event  as  "  the  eternal  God's  becoming  a 
mortal  man,"  as  Tome  fpeak,  mufl  have  many  wilnc.Tes.  But 
•where  are  they,  or  one  fcripture  aflertion  of  the  fa^l  j' 

A  few  witneffes  to  his  eternal  divinity  would  have  been  a 
mighiy  help  to  fcholaftic  orthodoxy,  and  it  really  riccds  it. 
But  clas  !  there  is  no  fupport  to  the  bafelcfs  fabric.  That  fuch 
an  alcent  is  conceivable,  appears  from  what  Chrifl  was 
and  did  after  his  refurredion.  At  times  he  was  with  the  dif- 
cinles  for  forty  days,  eat  and  drank  and  converfed  with  them, 
appeared  and  dllappeaied  at  plcafure,  even  when  tJoors  were 
fliut  ;  arid  might  have  xntir.y  sfcents  and  dcfcents  in  that  time  : 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  ,33 

we  never  read  of  his  lodging  with  them,  and  he  never  appeared 
f  ID  the  temple,  \ras  no  inhabitant  of  this  world  any  more  thzn 
angels  are  upon  occafional  meffages,  but  was  detained  from  a 
final  departure  by  fpecial  reafons.  The  angels  Tent  to  minifler 
to  the  heiis  of  falvation,  always  behold  their  Father's  face  in 
heaven.  Jefus  might  after  his  twelfth  year  confider  himfeif  as 
no  inhabitant  of  this  world,  and  yet  be  fometimes  in  ii,  known 
to  his  mother  and  fome  few  friends  with  whom  he  was  in  favor, 
and,  at  the  expiration  of  his  generative  capacity,  corT*e  in  his 
miniftry  into  the  world,  2isfan6iifced^feakd,  7\n6jent.  ' 

There  was  good  reafon  for  his  alcentional  remove,  and  there 
is  no  need  of  any  other  teftimony  of  it  than  we  have.  Heaven 
was  his  Father's  houle  and  court,  Vv'herc  the  divine  king's  (on 
and  heir  at  the  termination  of  his  minority  ought  to  be.  If  a 
great  king  beget  a  fon  and  heir,  of  a  virtuous  fubje£l  prince!? 
in  a  far  country,  defigning  him  hereafter  to  reuore  the  revolted 
fubjefts  in  that  country  to  their  allegiance,  it  muCt  have  a 
happy  tendency  towards  their  return  :  and  it  is  equally  fitting 
that  he  fhould  remain  M'ith  his  mother  under  fuch  governors, 
and  tutors,  as  were  proper  for  a  time  :  but  when  by  a  grcwth 
up  into  his  father's  image,  and  a  conformity  to  him,  and  he  is  fit 
for  his  father's  prefence,  it  is  highly  proper  he  faould  be  removed 
to  fee  his  father,  learn  his  mode  of  government,  and  under  him 
be  qualified  for  his  after  work,  give  his  attual  explicit  confrnt 
to  undertake  it,  receive  his  commifiion  and  credentials,  wit'i 
fuitable  inflruftions,  and  from  thence  to  fet  out  to  execute  his 
omce.  For  fome  fuch  purpofes  Jc^fus  went  to  be  with  Goo. 
He  had  proceeded  as  far  as  the  Jewifn  pedagogue  could  lead 
him  in  divine  knowledge,  and  therefore  went  to  heaven  to- 
read  the  volume  of  the  book  Pf.  xl.  7,  of  God's  prededina- 
tion,  and  have  the  old  teftam.ent  prophecies  explained  concerrj- 
ing  himfeif.  There  only  he  could  find  Jyie  to  give  him  n  com- 
prehen five  view  of  the  plan  of  redemption,  (ce  his  own    forc^ 


134  OF  THF  SON  OF  GOD. 

ordination  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  the  Father's 
love  to  him  before  the  world  was,  and  what  glory  he  had  with 
hiiB,  who  calleth  things  that  ar^  not,  as  though  they  were,  as 
a  reward  of  his  mediatorial  work. 

Then  in  pvofpeft  of  the  joy  fet  before  him,  he  engaged  to 
make  his  foUl  an  offering  for  fin,  upon  condition  of  feeing  his 
feed.  This  divines  have  called  the  covenant  of  redemption 
between  the  Father  and  the  Son.  It  could  not  be  between  any 
eternal  Logos  or  eternal  Son,  becaufe  if  any  fuch  had  esifted, 
he  had  no  foul  to  offer.  The  Father  having  then  revealed  his 
defigns  as  to  raen,  the  Son,  as  allied  to  them  by  the  birth  of  a 
woman,  voluntarily,  of  holy  benevolence,  engages  to  comply 
with  his  Father's  propofal,  and  to  lay  his  own  perfonal  advan* 
tage  by,  to  be,  do,  and  fuffer,  what  flciould  be  for  his  Father's 
honor  and  the  general  good.  In  fo  doing  he  quitted  his  claim 
to  hereditary  honour,  and  accepted  of  an  appointment  to  be 
heir  of  all  things  ;  And  though  rich  became  poor,  that  we 
through  his  poverty  might  be  made  rich.  All  this  was  the 
a£b  of  Jefus  himfelf,  and  not  of  any  eternal  Son,  or  Logos, 
lie  went  to  heaven  to  have  the  plan  unfolded  to  him,  to  be 
inftrufted  in  all  the  parts  of  it,  to  yield  his  explicit  confent  to 
it :  and  there  to  tarry  in  glory,  until  the  fulnefs  of  time 
fhould  come,  as  to  the  divine  foreordination,  the  divine  proph- 
ecies, and  his  own  age,  for  his  being  fan£lified,  fealed,  and  fent 
into  the  world. 

What  hath  been  fuppofcd  above  is  not  only  poiTible,  but 
probable,  anil  the  afcent  and  defcent  of  Jelus  after  his  birth,  and 
prior  to  his  public  miniftry,  as  a  matter  of/aBf  fhall  be  attempt- 
ed  to  be  proved,  from  plain  fcripture.  And  in  order  to  this 
it  will  be  necelTary  to  prove  his  being  in  heaven  when  John 
began  his  miidllry,  then  his  afcent  there,  and  his  defcent  from 
thence  in  his  own  miniftry  will  be  evident.  As  to  Jefus,  who 
was  born   at  Bethlehemj    being  in    heaven   when  John  began 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD  135 

his  miniftry,  and  before  his  own  raiflion  and  coming  in  to  the 
world,  we  prove  it  from  John  firft,  firft,  as  compared  with  oth- 
er fcriptures,  **  In  the  beginning  was  the  word,  and  the  word 
was  with  God,  and  the  word  was  God.  The  fame  was  in  the 
beginning  with  God.**  The  learned  do,  and  the  unlearned  raay> 
know  what  hath  been  written  to  pervert  and  wrefl  this  eafy 
text  of  fcripture  from  its  natural,  obvious,  and  popular  fenfe,  to 
one  totally  foreign  from  the  fubjeft  the^Evangeliff  is  treating 
of,  and  which  hath  nothing  but  Plato,  a  heathen,  and  tradition 
from  him,  to  fupport  it.  Much  hath  been  written  of  the  reafons 
of  John's  undertaking  to  write  his  gofpel,  and  more  of  what 
fome  platonic  philofophers  have  faid  of  the  fubiimity  of  it,  who 
underflood  nothing  of  it,  and  that  it  ought  to  have  been  written 
in  letters  of  gold.  The  fcripturi-s  explain  themfeives,  and  we 
need  no  help  from  fuch  as  are  of  this  world,  and  belong  to  the 
God  of  it,  to  explain  plain  revelation.  No -natural  man  ever 
conceived  of  what  John  hath  written.  The  Platonic  Logos, 
and  Rabbinical  Membra,  are  both  different  from  St.  John's 
word. 

John,  the  beloved  difcipleand  mofl:  intimate  friend  of  Jefus, 
is  allowed  to  have  been  the  writer  of  the  gofpel  which  bears 
his  name,  after  he  was  far  advanced  in  life,  had  outlived  the 
©ther  Apoftles,  and  had  feen  the  rife  of  many  errors  to  ths 
perverlion  of  the  true  faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints.  An- 
tichrifts  had  come  who  denied  jfe/us  to  be.  the  Chrijl,  or  that  he 
had  corns  injlejh^  as  may  be  feen  in  his  Epiftles.  1.  John  ix.  4, 
II.  John  7. 

He  had  alfo  in  view  the  completion  of  the  gofpel  hiftory  by 
ihe  fupply  of  what  others  had  omitted. 

1.  Like  other  hiPiorians,  he  fets  out  from  a^  well  known  epoch 
or  aera,  which  he  calls  beginning. 

Thus  Mofes,  began  his  hiftory  with  the  creation  of  ov»r 
tei^'rellrial  Syftem,       Some  by    Johr^'s  beginning    under  {land 


\ 


136  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

tternity^  though  that  hath  no  beginning  :  othei-s  fay  before  all 
worlds  :  and  not  a  few  fay  in  the  Mofaic  beginning  ;  and  to 
perpetuate  the  laft  conceit,  marginal  references  are  inferted  in 
fomc  bibles,  in  Genefis  and  John.  But  John's  beginning  is  not 
fo  early  as  the  birth  of  Jefus,  nor  fo  late  as  the  commencement 
of  bis  public  miniflry.  We  cannot  mifs  the  time,  if  he  and 
the  other  evangellfts  are  allowed  to  interpret  his  fenfe.  If  a 
writer  uCes  a  word  majiy  times  in  a  known  determinate  fenfe, 
for  once  in  a  difputed  ienfe,  iiid  even  that  once  may  be  befl 
undei flood  as  the  others,  nay  if  it  make  no  finfe^  to  put  any 
ether  meaning  upon  it,  but  fpoils  and  mars  the  whole  :  it  is 
ahiijivt  to  put  this  perverted  conftruftion  upon  it.  In  this 
manner  hath  John  been  treated.  Mark  and  John  begin  their 
gofpels  at  the  fame  date  evcn\wilhJohn  Baptift's  minijiry.  Mark 
i.  1,  2.  Hereeven  Mr.  Henry  faith,  "the  gofpel  did  not  begin 
fo  foon  as  the  birth  of  Chrift,  f*or  he  took  time  toincrcafe  in  wif- 
domand  ftaturc  :  nor  folate  as  his  entering  upon  his  own  public 
miniftry,  but  half  a  year  before,  when  John  began  to  preach." 
This  is  John's  beginning,  and  in  it,  the  v.'ord  was,  and  was  with 
God.  Nothing  can  be  plainer,  or  more  determinate.  "The 
law  and  the  prophets  were  until  'John."  then  a  new  epoch 
commenced.  Luke  xvi.  16.  When  the  place  of  Judas  was  to 
be  filled  up,  it  was  to  be  out  of  thofe  men  which  had  accom- 
panied with  the  Apoflles,  all  that  time  the  Lord  Jefus  went 
in  and  out  among  them,  beginning,  Afts  2.  22.  at  the  bap- 
tifm  of  John,  Beginning  at  John's  baptifing  any,  for  fome 
of  John's  difciples  were  afterwards  the  followers  of  Jefus,  or 
beginning  at  his  baptifing  Chrifl  himfelf.  St.  Luke  ufcs  the 
word  beginning  in  the  fame  fenfe.  '•  Who  from  the  beginning 
were  minifters  and  eye  witneiTes  of  the  word."  Luke  i.  2.  So 
John  explains  himfelf,  "  That  whicli  was  from  the  beginnijig^ 
which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have  feen  with  our  eyes, 
which  we  hav?  looked  upon,  and   cur  hands  have   handled  of 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  tjj 

the  word  of  life  :  that  which  we  have  ken  and  heard  declare 
we  unto  you  :  for  the  life  was  .manifefled.  and  we  have  iccn  ir, 
and  bear  w  Itnefs  and  flicw  unto  you,  that  eternal  life  which 
was  zviih  the  Father,  and  was  raanifeRed  unto  us."  I.  John  io 
1.  2.  3.  IheTariae  perfon  is  denoted  by  the  life  and  eternal  life, 
thit  In  the  goi'pel  is  called  the  word  with  God  :  whom  they 
never  fa w  or  handled  until  he  came  in  flcfh  and  dw&lt  am&ng 
them.  From  that  fame  beginning,  in  which  beginning  the 
word  fub filled  with  God,  they  favv  and  handled  him  who  is  the 
perlonal  life  eternal  which  had  been  Vvith  the"  Father^  with 
God,  but  was  now  raanifefted.  *'  Ye  were  with  mc  from  ihe 
beginning  :  Jefus  knew  from  the  bcginvAn^  who  fhould  betray 
hiai."  John  Jtv.  27.  vi.  64.  viii.  25,  xvi.  4.  I,  John  ii,  2, 
S5.   and  iii.  3.    II.  John  v.  6. 

,2.   In  the  beginning  was  the  Word. 

Here  is  a  proof  of  St.  John's  fiinplicity  in  barely  afTertln?; 
that  the  Word  was,  or  had  a  real  fubfiftence.  But  v/hodid 
not  know  the  Word  *v^j,  with  a  fncer,  fay  fcholailics,  if  the 
Word  was  Jefus  after  his  birth,  and  not  yet  made  flefh  ?  th^ 
anfwer  (hall  be  ferioudy.  When  Mofes  began  his  hiflcry,  he 
doth  not  fjy  in  the  beginning  God  was,  becaufe  njcn  already 
had  fufficient  notices  of  his  being  from  creation.  But  John, 
writing  of  a  perfoa  v.  liofe  exidence  could  not  be  known 
by  natural  light,  and  whofe  creation  as  well  as  kingdom  was 
not  (;f  this  world,  faith  the  Word  was  or  had  a  real  being. 
Who  is  the  word  ?  not  wifdom  in  Prov.  viii.  Wifdom  is  of 
anothery^;!;,  filler  to  Prudence,  allied  to  Charity  whom  St.  Paul 
perfoniries.  I.  Cor.  xiii.  Mr.  Henry  haih  this  law  quibble, 
'•  Woid  is  two-fold,  word  conceived,  word  uttertrd,  the  hrfi 
is  thought,  the  other  is  Ipeech,  thought  is  the  conception  of, 
and  one  with  the  foul,  and  therefoje  the  fecond  pcrfon  is  fitir 
called  llie  Wi)rd,  being  the  fiift  begotten  of  the  Father,  as 
thought  i£>  of  the  foul."  After  quoting  Prov.  viii.  he  goea 
S 


138  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

on,  "And  as  (here  is  word  uttered  Vv'hich  is  fpeech,  thus  Chrift 
is  the  Word  as  the  Father  hath  fpoken  to  us  by  hini.  John 
Ba-^tiil  was  the  voice,  hut  Chrift  the  Word."  Wretched 
ilufF  !  fcholrnic  hufks  !  Leclerk  faith  "  In  the  beginning  was 
rtafcni  ;"  a  njighty  fubjeft  of  gofpel  revelation  !  others  fay  the 
Word  is  a  certain  eternal  Son  of  God,  and  fome,  He  is  the  Su- 
preme God  under  a  fecond  denomination.  But  John  never 
bare  wit ni^fs  to  the  cxiftende  of  any  fuch  perfon.  A  few  fay 
the  word  is  firft  born,  before  the  creation  and  the  moft  glorious 
creature.  John  telis  us  plainly  who  the  Word  is,  even  the  fame 
with  the  Light,  the  Life,  the  eternal  Life  which  was  with  the 
Tafhcr,  the  fame  John  bare  witnefs  of,  who  came  to  his  own, 
and  his  ovvit  received  him  not  :  the  fame  with  the  only  begotten  ; 
the  fam^with  Jefus  Chrift  ;  John  i.  6,  11,  14,  17,  18.  called 
the  Word  becaufe  he  hath  declared  t'iiC  Father,  and  hath  the 
words  of  eternal  life.  The  Word  0/  God  ftill  retains  his  name 
with  a  garment  dipt  in  blood,  Rev.  xix.  13.  which  no  abftraQ: 
Logos,  or  eternal  Son,  or  fii  ft  born  before  the  Creation,  ever 
had.  Scholaftics  have  impofed  a  figment,  a  non  entity,  for 
Jefus  Chrift  who  can^e  in  fiefh,  and  totally  change  the  JidjeSi, 
miftake  the  time,  and  the  nature,  of  the  incarnation,  and  in  the 
room  of  an  important  reality,  fuhftitute  a  nothings 

3.   The  Word  in  the  beginning  v/as  with  God. 

"  Wc  fliew  unto  you  that  eternal  life  which  was  with  the 
Father,  and  was  manifeft  unto  us."  He  was  zvith  God,  as  we 
fay  of  a  good  man  departed,  he  is  gone  to  God.  He  repeats  it 
for  the  greater  confirmation  as  John's  manner  is.  TkeJ'amt 
zvas  in  the  beginning  za'ith  God. 

In  tlie  beginning  of  John's  nn'niftry,  the  Word  u-as  wjth 
God,  n-ot  yet  made  flefh,  nor  come  to  dwell  among  the  Apof- 
i\cs.  If  v.e  could  not  tell  how  Jei'us  went  to  be  with  God, 
or  what  he  went  there  for,  wc  ouglit  to  believe  the  faft  upon 
John's  tcQiiixM^.y,   r^ ay  upon    Chiifl'sown  repeated  aflertioB, 


^  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD  139 

wh©  was  the   true  witnsfs.   John   iii.  33.     They  both    alBrm 
he  afcended  there,  was  in  heaven,  and  came  from  thence  in  his 
miflion.      The  proof  of  this  matter  of  faft   being  important  as 
to  the  miffion  of  Chrift,  a  few  of  the  many  texts  that  fpeak  of 
it    fhall  be  produced.      Whole  chapters  ahnoft,  fpeak   of    hii 
coming   from  heaven,  not  as  an   eternal   Son  or    Logos,  but  as 
the  y^n  of  man,  a  title    he    gives  himlelf,    and  which  belonged 
not  to  him  in  his  generative  capacity.      Dircourling  with  Nic- 
odemus,  he    faith,  '•  Verilv,  verily  I  fay  unit)  thee,  we  fpeak 
that  we  do  know,  and  teflify  that  we  have  feen  :   and  ye  receive 
not  our  witnefs.      If    I  have  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye 
believe  not,  how  fhall    ye    believe,  if   I  tell    you  of  heavenly 
things  ?    And  no  man  hath  alcended  uo  to  heaven,  but  he  that 
came  dov;^n  from  heaven,  even    the  fon  of  man,   which  was  in 
heaven."    John  iii.  11,  12,  13.      Our  tranflation,  which  z'-f  in 
heaven,  is  not   right   nor    true.      The  original   word  is  in  the 
pad  as  well  as  prefent  time  :   and  the  fon  of  man  could  not  be 
in  heaven  while  talking  with  them  on  earth.      Here  is  firll  an 
afcent   to    heaven    from  earth,  then  a    defcent   from  heaven  to 
earth,  and  an  affirmation  that  he  was  in  heaven,  after  his  afcent, 
and  before  his  defcent.      And  the   whole  is  predicated  of  the 
fon    of   man,    a    name  not  a  (fumed  or   given    him  only  in  his 
Riiniftry.      It  is  not  fpoken  of  any  eternal  Son  or    Logos,  or 
of  the  divine  nature,  for  a   nature   cannot   aicend    or    defcend 
without  the  perfon  whole  nature  it  is.      John  the  Baptift  tefti- 
fies    the  fame   thing    in    the  fame  chapter.      "  He  that  cqmeth 
from  above,  is  above  all  (prophets)  :    he  that  n  of  the  earth,  is 
earthy,  and  Ipeaketh  of  the  earth  :    he  that  comech  from  heaven 
is  above  alj,    and  what  he  hath   ieen  and  heard,  that  he  teftifi- 
eth,  and  no  man  receiveth  his  tedimony,  he  that  receiveth  his 
teflimony  hath  fet   to    his  feal  that  God  is  true."      In  this  his 
preeminence  to    all   other     prophets    confided,     that     he   had 
fien  and    heard,    what  he  decla:ed.      In   the    fixth    chapter  ok 


140  OF  THE  son:  OF  GOD, 

John,  Chrlfl  difcourfefh  largely  of  hlmfclf  as  \.hz  head  of  life 
which  came  clown  from  heaven  ;  *•  And  the  bread  that  I  will 
give  is  try  flefl^,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world." 
The  Jews  underftood  him  literally  and  queflioned  about  it  : 
and  when  many  cf  hisdifciples  faid,  ''  This  is  an  hard  faying, 
who  can  hear  it  ?  And  when  Jefus  knew  in  himfelf  that  they 
murmured  nt  It,  he  faid  unto  them,  doth  this  ojffend  you  ?  John 
\\.  60,  615  62.  What,  and  if  yc  fhall  fee  the  fon  of  man  afcend 
np  where  lie  was  before  ?  Nothing  can  be  plainer  than  this. 
It  is  predicated  of  no  Son  of  God,  not  the  fon  of  man,  nor  of 
any  divine  nature.  The  word  before,  doth  not  relate  to  his 
birth,  but  his  miflion  ;  for  it  hath  been  validly  proved  that 
there  was  no  fuch  perfon  unde^  any  denomination  prior  to  the 
birth  of  Jefus.  ''He  that  defceridcd  is  the  fame  that  afcendcd  far 
?bove  all  heavens.'*  Eph.  ix.  lo.  Mr.  Pool's  corps  are  much 
pinched  nere,  *^He  faith  not,  he  that  afcended  is  the  fame  that  de- 
fcended,  left  it  Giould  be  thought  that  Chrift  jbrought  his  body 
with  him  from  heaven,  but  on  the  contrary,  He  that  defcendcd 
is  thejar/ie  that  afcended,  to  (hew  that  the  Son  of  God  did  not 
become  other  by  his  delcent  than  what  he  was,  nor  theaffump- 
tion  of  the  human  nature  add  any  t  riing,  as  a  man  is  not  made 
other  by  the  clothes  he  puts  on.'*  Thus  the  human  nature 
according  to  them,  is  no  efientiality  of  the  perfon  of  Chrifl:. 
But  this  is  guarded  againfl.  "  He  that  afcended,  what  is  it 
but  that  he  defcended  firft :  He  had  afcended  firfl  of  all,  then 
defcended,  and  hath  now  afcended,  and  v^ill  dcfcend  again. 
Jefus  was  l>org  here  human  divine,  without  the  clothes  of 
flefh,  went  to  God  without  them,  came  from  God  in  his  mif- 
fion,  ?tid  put  them  on  here  for  a  little  while,  put  them  ofi' at 
bis  death,  went  to  heaven  without  Ihem  ;  but  thefe  cloaths  are 
not  the  human  but  animal  nature.  The  fame  perfon  faith, 
*'  I  proceeded  forth  and  came  from  God  ;  neither  came  I  of 
jnvfelf,  but  hefent  me."   John  viii.  42.   "Ha  which  is  of  Godji 


OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  141 

he  hath  feen  the  Father."  '•!  came  oui  from  God,  I  came  fcrih 
from  the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the  world  :  again  1  leave 
the  world  and  go  to  the  Father.  His  difciples  fild,  lo,  now 
fpeakeft  thou  plainly  :  We  believe  that  thou  camefl;  forth  from 
God."  John  xvi.  28,  29,  30.  The  fame  that  came  from  the 
Father  was  to  return  again,  and  in  the  fame  fenfe  :  but  he  could 
not  come  from  God  in  his  raiflion,  unlefs  he  had  hrfl  gone  to 
be  with  God.  '-'Jefus  knew  that  he  was  come  from  God  and 
went  to  God."  John  xiii.  g.  His  birth  was  no  coming  in  h:s 
miflion  ;  God  did  not  give  his  only  begotten  Son  at  his  nativ- 
ity. But  why  were  there  no  fpeftators  of  tlie  iuppofcd  afcent 
and  defcent  ?  Anfwer  :  becaufeit  concerned  none  but.  himlelf ; 
he  had  received  no  commiflion,  and  was  not  fent.  But  when 
the  Fzihev /an6lifiedy /ealedf  znd  fent  him,  it  was  from  heiveoj 
where  he  had  been  with  God. 

4.   And  the  Word  was  God. 

The  fame  Word,  in  the  fame  beginning  was  properly  God  : 
He  was  not  that  God  with  whom  he  was,  but  the  only  begotten 
of  that  God,  now  arrived  to  perfection  by  the  progrefs  of  na- 
ture he  was  born  fubje6l  untv>.  God  here  is  without  an  article 
in  the  Greek,  to  diftinguifli  him  from  the  Father,  and  ot  denote 
that  He  was  not  in  Jt at:  God  ;  that  is  in  a  reigning  condition, 
vefted  with  any  power  of  a6lual  government.  This  is  the 
God  afterwards  manifell  in  flefh.  And  while  he  v/as  with  the 
God  and  was  God,  He  fubfifted  in  the  form  of  God.  Phil.  ii.  6. 
As  to  this  form  and  h\s  leaving  of  it  {ox  flufi^  it  will  come 
under  con fi deration  in  the  next  chapter. 

It  appears,  from  the  above  defcription  of  the  Son  of  God 
and  of  David  in  his  generative  capacity,  that  He  was  perfonaily 
fit  to  a£l  as  a  mediator  between  God  and  men,  if  ever  called 
thereunto. 

As  the  divine  nature  and  human  nature  srebotli  united  in 
his  perfon,  he  is  exatlly  a  middle  perfon  bc-twccn  God  snd  men, 


,42  OF  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

confidering  men  as  the  offspring  of  God.  But  as  yet  he  had 
not  become  flefli  by  parta^king  of  theanimal  nature  of  the  Sons 
of  Adam  in  their  prefent  eftate  that  God  might  maiiifefl:  them. 
His  perfonal  conflitution,  origination,  and  native  hereditary 
accompliflimerttsare  fuch,  that  neither  the  one  God  the  Father 
nor  the  children  of  God  now  fubjeft  to  vanity,  have  any  caufe 
of  fear  to  truft  him  with  their  concerns,  or  that  he  will  be  un- 
equal to  the  execution  of  any  office  devolved  upon  him,  by 
the  Father  of  Spirits  and  creator  of  louls,  for  the  redemption 
and  reftoration  of  thele  lo.fl  fheep  now  ilrayed  from  the  fold  of 
the  one  Shepherd  and  fupreme  Bifhop  of  fouls.  The  Son  of 
God  born  of  a  woman  is  allied  to  both  God  and  men,  and  is  fit 
to  mediate  between  both.  Being  the  engraved  image  of  his 
Father's  perfon.  His  only  Begotten  and  well  beloved  Son,  He 
vk/ill  therefore  pleafe  his  God  and  Father  and  not  hirHfelf,  and 
come  into  any  propofed  expedient  which  wifdora  and  benevo- 
lence may  devife  for  the  recapitulation  of  all  things.  As  a 
male  born  of  a  female  of  our  fpecies,  both  fexes  may  have  hope 
for  his  interpofiiion  as  a  kin/man  redeemer.  While  Jefus  was 
God  with  God  in  heaven,  there  was  a  fuller  vifible  equality 
between  God  and  him.  Tranfaftlng  with  God  for  man  in  the 
covenant  of  redemption,  he  as  God,  fubfifted  in  the  form  of 
God.  But  when  he  came  down  to  earth,  we  fhali  fee  he  a£ls 
as  the  man  God's  Fellow  conformed  to  the  prefent  eftate  of  the 
Sons  of  men,  and  even  in  the  form  of  a  fervant,  ih  the  Ukev.efs  of 
finfulpjh. 

Having  the  glory  of  God  at  heart,  and  a  compaflionate 
feeling  for  men,  wc  may  view  him  as  ftanding  ready  in  the 
imperial  court  of  heaven,  waiting  for  the  fulnefs  of  time  to 
come,  when  thefovereign  mandate  fliall  be  iffued  for  his  defcent 
into  our  world  to  afTume  a  body  fitted  for  him,  Heb.  x.  5.  to 
aft  the  mediator  and  faviour,  in  the  offices  of  a  Prophet,  Prieft, 
and   King,  of  the  Mod  High.      The  holy  writers  who  had  « 


^  OF  THE  INCARNATION,  &c.  143 

right  idea  of  the  native  dignity,  and  riclies  of  JefuSj  the  only 
begotten  of  the  Father,  feel  enraptured  wheti  they  fpcak  of 
his  condelcenfion  and  huruiiiation,  not  in  being  born,  but  in 
becoming  incarnate  for  a  little  while.  A  moie  accompiifhed 
perfon  cannot  be  conceived  of  for  this  work.  This  is  David 
m  the  antitype.  God's  Son  and  Heir,  becoming  his  fervant 
voluntarily,  whom  God  hath  found  and  cholcn,  and  anointed 
to  execute  the  office  of  a  redeeming,  new  creating,  and  refloring 
God.  This  leads  to  a  fubje^l,  the  admiration  of  angels,  the 
joy  of  men,  and  the  a  Peon  ifh  meat  of  devils,  and  the  ground  and 
pillar  of  th-e  truth,  even  the  great  myllery  of  gcdIincJs,  G:>d 
manifefl  \v\  Jicfn, 


CHAP.   VI. 

OF     THE     INCARNATION,     H  U  :/:  1  L  I  A  T  I  O  N ,     AND     M  I  S  S  i  O  >! 
OF    CHRIST. 

The  myjlery  of  Godlinefs,  or  tkt  incarnation  of  the  Mejjiah  J^ffa^ 
Chriji  exidained  :  The  form  of  God  :  His  becoming  ficfi  in 
the  form  of  a  fervant  in  the  likeuefs  of  men  :  His  humiliatict 
unto  death  :  Exaltation  to  the  throne  of  God  :  And  the  rejli- 
tution  of  all  things  into  the  kingdom  of  God  all  in  all,  &t. 

THE  great  myf^erv  of  godlinef^,  is  the  Word's  "  being  made, 
or  becoming  flcfh  ;"  the  fame  with  the  '•  manifeftation  of 
God  in  flefii  ;"  the  fame  with  the  "  coaung  of  Jefus  Chriil  m 
flelh."  John  i.  14.  !.  Tim.  iii.  i6.  I.  John  iv.  2.  This  is 
the  ground  and  pill  ir  of  ihe  truth,  as  it  ought  to  be  iranlhted, 
and  not  the  chutch.  I.  Tim.  iii.  15.  As  known  unto  God  are 
all  his  works  fr'Mn  the  beginning  of  the  world  and  before,  he 
foreordained  Chrilt  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  to  be  ihtt 
ijviourofit,   andfubordinate  to  this    forecrdinalion,  he  created 


144    OF  THE  INCARNATION,  HUMILIATION, 

our  world  and  man,  formed  the  feveral  economies  of  religion, 
begat  his  own  San  Jefus,  snd  trained  him  up  to  a  fitnefs  for 
the  office  of  Chrifl,  when  the  foreordination  expired  and  the 
fulnefs  of  time  came  for  his  raiffion  into  the  world.  The  holy 
Jefus  being  all  fubmiffion  to  his  Father's  will  comes,  as  fent 
upon  this  crrzr\6,  fanciificd^  let  apart  to  the  wovVyJealed  i  cora- 
n^JiTioncd  as  under  the  broad  feal  of  heaven,  to  perform  the 
arduous  undertaking.  He  comes  from  God  the  Father,  with 
whom  we  left  him  in  the  preceding  chapter,  to  do  that  which 
Vas  wnrien  in  the  volume  of  God's  book  concerning  him.  He 
was  rrsdc  Fiefh,  came  in  flefh,  to  dwell  or  tabernacle  among  ths 
apoftles.  But  previous  to  this,  the  form  of  God  he  fubfiiled 
in  as  God  with  God  mud  be  laid  afide.  Phil.  ii.6.  This  is  th« 
voiunlary  aci  of  Jefus  Chrift  and  not  of  any  eternal  Son  or  Lo- 
^T-f..  As  fcbclaflics  have  changed  ihc  fupreme  obje£l  of  worfhip, 
the  only  true  God  the  Father,  for  a  triune  deity,  or  *•  moft 
bleifed  elTencc  confifting  of  three  perfons  :"  So  they  have  to- 
tally changed  they-«/^'e(S  of  the  inanition,  and  incarnation,  from 
Jelus  Chrift,  to  a  ficlitious  perfon  of  their  own  invention  who 
was  -neither  Jefus  nor  Chrifl;,  but  becam.e  fo,  as  they  foppofe,  at 
hisbirth,  which  they  erroneoully  call  his  incarnation.  With 
the  change  of  thefubjc6l  they  have  alfo  changed  the  time  of  it  : 
and  the  nature,  as  ^hcy  fuppofe  tins  ei*irn<'il  Son  then,  took  to 
himfelf  "  a  true  body  and  a  reaionahle  foul,"  which  is  fome- 
thing  more  than  Jefus  himfelf 's  becoming  Jlejh,   Heb.  ii.  14. 

Thefciipture  idea  of  the  incarnation  is  precifely  no  more 
tlian  the  farkofis  becoming  flcfii  of  Jefus  Chrili,  at  that  begin- 
ning which  fucceeded  the  termination  of  his  generative  capacity, 
andvvas  the  commencement  of  his  mifTive  economy.  The 
faikofis  means  no  more  than  that  at  the  dclccnt  of  Jefus  from 
heaven,  and  coming  into  our  woild,  after  emptying  himfelf  of 
the  form  of  God,  he  aifumed  an  animal  body  fitted  for  him, 
for  a  little  v.-hilc  called  Helh,  flefli  and  blcod.      And  thus  com- 


AND  MISSION  OF  CHRIST.  145 

ingin  (lefh  he  was  anointed,  made  God's  MelFiah  by  the  defceot 
of  the  Holy  Ghoft  at  his  baptifm  by  John. 

In  cvtvyjiate  after  the  perfon  of  J^fus  was  condltuted  by  his 
Bethlehemetical  generation  and  nativity,  he  remains  the  fame 
effentially  human  divine,  of  two  natures  in  one  perfon.  The 
feveral  dates  he  pafTes  through  do  not  alter  his  perfon,  hut  fo 
change  his  condition,  that  things  rightly  predicated  of  him  in 
'  one  ftate,  are  not  compatible  to  him  in  another  flate.  The 
becoming  incarnate  was  only  for  a  little  while,  a  temporary 
thing  :  the  days  of  his  flefh  were  only  during  his  miniftry  on 
earth,  and  are  now  over,  but  his  effential  divinity  snd  humanity- 
are  the  fame  yefterday,  to  day,  and  forever.  In  Ifaiah  ix.  6. 
and  Philip,  ii.  5,  11,  we  have  three  ftates  of  Jefus  Chrift 
mentioned  at  once  ;   and  in  I.  Cor.  xv.  28.  &c.    a  fourth. 

Before  thefe  ftatcs  are  explained  let  the  Reader  keep  the 
following  rules  in  mind. 

1.  That  the  fame  identical  perfon  is  fpoken  of  in  each  ftate 
even  Jefus  the  Son  of  God,  and  no  eternal  Son  or  Logos.  Hei 
is  the  child  born,  the  word  made  flefh,  the  fon  given,  God  m:in- 
ifeft  in  flelh,  the  mighty  God,  the  everlafting  Father,  &c. 

2.  That  his  perfon  is  elTenti^lly  the  fame  in  every  ftate,  form, 
and  condition,  human  divine  in  his  natures  as  hath  been  def- 
cribed. 

*  V.-. 

3.  That  he  was  in  no  two  flates,  forms  or  fonaitionS  at  on-; 
and  the  fame  time,  but  relinquifhed  the  one  for  the  other* 
When  a  child  born,  he  was  no  Son  given,  when  in  the  form  of 
God,  he  was  not  in  the  form  of  a  fervant  in  the  likencfs  of  men, 
In  nsHi,  or  the  likenefsof  finful  flefh  :  much  lefs  was  he  the  migh- 
ty  God  or  the  everlafting  Father  when  a  child  born,  or  Son  given, 
nor  was  any  government  upon  his  fhouider  until  his  exaltation. 

4.  The  order  of  thefe  dates  mufh  be  carefully  obferved. 
The  progrelTion  Is  from  a  child  to  a  fon,  to  a  mighty  God  and 
everlafting  Father  :   and  if  one  ftate  Is  taken  away,  or  mifplaced, 
T 


146     OF  THE  INCARNATION,  HUMILIATION, 

I, 
the  argument  is  loft,  and  confufion  introduced.    If  thefirft  ftatc, 

the  form  of  God  is  taken  away,  there  is  no  room  for  the  incar- 
nation and  humiliation  :  and  if  in  the  firft,  or  fecond,  the  eflen- 
tial  government  was  pofftlled,  the  exaltation  would  be  a  degra- 
dation as  force  make  it,  from  the  elTential  to  the  mediatorial 
throne.  For  as  to  the  exaltation  of  a  nature  without  the  perfon, 
it  is  nonlenfe.  The  fourth  ftate  is  a  return  to  the  firft.  I* 
Cor.  XV.  28.  &c.  The  firft  and  laft  ftates  are  perfonal,  the  tw# 
middle  ones  arc  official.  ^ 

Thefe  four  ftates  fhall  be  confidered  and  explained  in  their 
older. 

i.  The  form  of  God  is  that  ftate  fubfifted  in  by  the  c Mid 
hrh,  at  the  termination  of  his  generative  capacity  or  econ- 
omy. A 

This  is  what  belonged  to  Jefus  when  he  was  with  the  God, 
and  was  God  in  the  beginning  of  the  Gofpel  epoch.  It  is 
what  he  had  grown  up  to,  and  poffcffed  by  native  hereditary 
right.  Morphe,  the  word  tranflated  form,  is  the  external  figure, 
iliape,  or  , appearance  of  a  perfon.  Matt,  xvii,  2.  Mark  xvii 
12,  Chrift  was  transformed  on  the  mount,  and  appeared  in 
another  form  to  his  difciples.  Satan  and  his  minifters  can 
transform  themielves.  II.  Cor.  xi.  14,  1 5.  It  fuppofes  fub- 
ftance.  but  never  fignifies  what  is  effential.  It  is  an  exterior  ap- 
pendage of  God  :  Jefus  emptied  himfelf  of  i%  but  never  laid 
afide  any  thing  fubftantial.  Deiformity  is  that  exterior  con- 
dition and  majefty  which  accompanies  fubftance  as  the  fhadow 
doth  the  body.  It  belonged  to  Jefus  as  the  Son  and  Heir,  and 
was  analogous  to  the  m.ajeftatic  exterior  port,  guife  and  form 
of  a  King's  Son  and  Heir,  which  is  tranfcendant  to  that  of  fub- 
jctti,  as  this  was  creature-tranfcendent.  In  all  appearances  of 
God  in  the  Old  Teftament  theie  was  a  glory  attending  them, 
which  was  luminous  and  relplendent.  God  is  light,  Chriji  is 
the  true   light,  the    Son    of  right eoufne/s.      Light  hath  both  a 


AND  MISSION  OF  CHRIST.  147 

juhJianct\nA  zform^  and  the  form  is  a  luminous  emanation  from, 
and  concomitant  of  the  fubftance,  A  philofopher  faid  of  God 
"  light  was  his  body  and  truth  his  foul."  Now  what  the 
form  of  Jefus  was  in  heaven  as  the  exprelJs  imageof  his  Father's 
pcrfon,  and  brightnefs  of  his  glory,  you  may  learn  from  his 
own  transformation  on  the  mount,  which  was  a  return  to  this 
condition  for  a  little  while,  not  by  any  change  of  fubftance,  bur 
of  outward  figure.  Matt.  xvii.  2.  Mark  ix.  23.  Luke  ix.  29. 
Then  they  "  beheld  his  glory,  as  the  glory  of  the  only  begot- 
ten of  the  Father."  /Ind  tucrc  eye  loitnejfes  of  his  majejty^ 
John  1.14.   II.   Pet.  i.  j6,  17. 

Whenever  celeftials  have  madetlieir  appearance,  it  hath  been 
commonly  in  fome  luminous  form.  The  divine  fchekinah  was 
of  this  kind.  The  countenance  of  the  angel,  was  like  light- 
ning and  his  raiment  zvhite  as  /how,  who  rolled  the  flone  from 
the  fepulchre.  Where  faints  have  had  ii^timate  communion 
with  God,  fomething  of  this  form  hath  been  imparted,  as 
Mq/es'facejhonCf  and  Stephen's  tuas  as  it  had  ken  the  fc^cc  of  an 
a^ngel.  Exod.  xxxiv,  30.  Aft.  vi.  15.  As  Jefus  gren'  to  be 
more  like  God  in  his  internal  fubflantial  form,  the  rays 
of  divinity  became  more  refulgent,  and  he  v;z%  in  his  fpiritual 
body  more  glorious  than  any  creature.  And  the  fame  bright- 
nefs is  communicated  to  ail  beings  in  proportion  to  their  fanditv 
which  is  divinity,  and  this  keeps  pace  with  their  ncarneis  to 
God.  Angels  and  faints  are  light,  Satan  is  total  darknefF. 
Judge  of  the  form  of  Jefus  then  from  what  it  is  now.  Rev.  i. 
J3,  14.  Suppofe  what  ought  to  be,  an  earthly  court  whe 
virtue  and  merit  are  the  folc  rule  of  honor  an4  fplenvlor.  Th 
King  as  fupreme  is  the  fountain  of  virtue  and  honor  to  ail  his 
nobles,  officers,  and  fubjecis.  Their  forms  are  more  or  Ic^s  re. 
fplendent  according  to  their  nearnefs  to  him  in  the  iuhftjntinl 
form  of  his  perfjn,  which  is  virtue.  The  prince  the  only 
l?egoUen  and  heir,  to  whom  is  derived  his  Father's  nature.  In  -* 


ere 

rhe 


mS     of  the  incarnation,  HUiMILIATION, 

faperior  degree  to  what  any  others  poflefs  it,  and  whom  he 
hath  raoft  imitated,  (o  that  when  arrived  to  manhood  He  is 
mofl  his  image  and  brightnefs,  in  manlike  and  kinglike  ac- 
complifhments.  Ii  is  plain  this  royal  fon  muft  excel  all  others 
in  external  port,  form,  and  fplendor,  becaufe  he  exceeds  them 
all,  in  the  internal  fubjlantial  form  of  virtue.  And  although 
this  prince  is  vefted  with  no  governing  authority,  yet  is  he 
fubjeft  to  none  but  his  father.  Every  comer  to  court,  every 
officer  and  fubjeft,  will  view  him  to  be  of  fuperior  dignity  to 
them,  and  as  (ubfifting  in  the  mod  perfeft  form  of  the  king  of 
any  of  them,  and  as  meriting  fuch  perfonal  refpeft  as  is  not 
due  to  any  fubjeft,  even  when  they  pay  him  no  direft  a£ls  of 
icvereign  honor. 

Such  was  the  ftateof  Jefus  while  in  the  form  of  God,  with 
all  the  advantage,  that  heavenly  things  have  above  earthly, 
he  was  incorruptible,  impafTable,  immortal,  invifible  af  pleafure, 
linlubjeft  to  any  but  his  Father,  glorious  and  happy,  the  facred 
inviolable  on^  of  the  Holy  One.  In  this  (late  he  might  have 
ever  remained,  but  for  the  redemption  of  mankind.  In  this 
he  was  a  voluntary  agent,  and  dilcovered  the  fublimeft  piety 
in  not  pleafing  himfelf  but  his  Father,  and  the  moft  confum- 
Diate  benevolence  in  not  feeking  his  own  things,  but  the  things 
of  others.  If  he  had  then  polTeffed  the  elTential  government, 
it  is  hard  to  fay  how  he  could  have  relinquifhied  it,  and  as  the 
exercife  of  it  muft  have  been  according  to  God's  holy  fpiritual 
moral  law,  which  none  but  holy  angels  had  kept,  devils  and 
men  could  only  have  felt  his  iron  fceptre  in  righteou fnefs,  and 
tlie  latter  could  never  have  been  faved,  for  the  law  could  not 
give  them  life. 

There  is  a  fentence  conne£led  with  the  form  of  God,  that 
hath  been  divcrfely  tranflated.  Some  prefer  our  reading, 
f*  He  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God."  But 
fome  read  it,  **  He  did  not  covet  to   appear  as  Gcd."     Or  as 


AND  MISSION  OF  CHRIST.  149 

others,  **  He  was  not  fondj  of  appearing  as  God,  or  tenacious 
of  retaining  his  equality  to  God."  Let  critics  fettle  this 
point.  As  a  Son,  He  had  an  equality  of  nature  to  God. 
which  He  could  not  empty  himfelf  of  :  but  equality  of  nature 
infers  no  equality  in  power  and  glory.  As  a  Sun,  the  Father 
muft  be  greater  than  He  :  the  genitor  is  fuperior  to  the  gener- 
ated, the  giver  to  the  receiver  ;  the  fender  to  the  fcnt.  ,  If 
Jefus  thought  this  exterior  equality  might  be  retained,  and  yet 
he  was  willing  to  part  with  it,  it  is  the  firfl  aft  of  his  humiiia- 
ti©n  :  if  it  was  fomething  that  belonged  to  his  form  which  he 
claimed,  it  expreffes  his  native  dignity.  But  it  ought  not  to 
be  extended  fo  far  as  to  infringe  on  the  prerogatives  of  pater-- 
nity,  or  to  render  it  inconfiflent  with  the  Son's  declaration, 
"  The  Father  is  greater  than  I."  The  con:ipariron  is  not  be- 
tween natures^  but  a  divine  Father,  and  a  divine  San.  Tney 
cannot  be  equals  and  the  Father  greater,  in  the  fame  refpeft* 
The  engraved  image  may  be  fo  like  the  examplar.  that  Hs  who 
knows  the  one,  may  know  the  other  alfo,  John  xiv.  9.  but 
they  cannot  be  the  fame.  The  fountain  muft  be  fuperior  to 
the  living  flream.  Given  life,  and  power,  are  not  unoriginate. 
If  we  read  it  thus,  *'  Chrift  Jefus  whd  fubfifled  in  the  form 
of  God,  was  thereyi  equal  or  like  to  God  without  robbery,  but 
did  not  covet  to  retain  it,  but  relinquifhed  it."  it  Ihcws  his 
humiliation,  and  benevolence  in  becoming /^oi^r  for  our  fikes, 
who  was  natively  rich,  that  we  through  his  poverty,  might  be 
made  rich.  His  benevolence  was  not  fo  difmtcrcfiicd  but  tiiat 
he  expefted  to  be  crowned  with  gloryj  had  refpctl  to  the  joy 
fet  before  him,  and  thought  it  not  meicenary  10  pray  for  it 
when  his  work  was  finiflied.   Hcb.  xii.  2.  Joan  xvii.  4,  5. 

2.  "  But  made  himfelf  of  no  reputniion,"  or  as  tlie 
tranflation  may  be  corrected,  '•  Emptied  himlcif,  t.iking  upon 
Lim  the  form  of  a  fervant  in  the  likencls  of  men."  The  vvord 
for  emptied  is  fometimes  tranflatcd.  .'■;'  m::ke   void,    or  vaiii.    I. 


i^Q     OF  THE  INCARNATION,  HUMILIATION, 

Cor,  ix.  ig.  11.  Cor.  ix.  3.  It  denotes  his  voluntarily  diveftr 
jng  himlelf  of  his  former  deiformity,  and  exterior  equality 
or  likenefs,  and  being  fubjeft  to  vanity,  in  the  form  of  a/ervanti 
in  the  Ukenefi  of  men.-  The  fojm  of  a  fervant  is  the  exterior 
rendition  and  flate  of  a  fervant.  In  the  likenefs  of  men ,  diflin- 
guifhes  him  from  angels,  who  are  miniftring  fpirits  to  the  heirs 
of  falvation.  This  likenefs  is  unto  his  brethren,  the  children 
partakers  of  ftefh  and  blood.  Heb.  ii.  14,  17,  In  his  deiformity 
he  was  rich,  in  divine  immunities  and  privileges,  of  unfervilc 
condition,  but  for  our  fakes  became  poor,  in  a  menial  .condi- 
tion, II.  Cor.  xiii.  9.  in  the  likenefs  of  common  men.  He 
became  for  a  iJttle  while  what  he  was  not  before,  lower  thart 
the  angels,  and  is  not  now  in  heaven,  and  yet  he  retained,  an4 
ilill  retains  all  his  human  diving  eflentialities  of  perfon.  Like 
a, King's  Son  and  Heir,  who  lays  afide  the  appendages  of  his 
native  dignity,  and  becgmes  his  Father's  fervant,  fo  did  He, 
Ifa,  xlii.  6.  The  form  of  a  fervant  doth  not  mean  the  nature 
of  3  fervant,  nor  doth  likenefs  imply  famenefs,  or  the  likenefs 
of  men  fignify  the  human  nature.  John  ix.  9.  God  (ent  his  Son 
in  the  reality  of  fejii,  but  likenels  of  finful  flefii.  Rom.  viii.  3, 
His  likenefs  to  his  brethren  in  all   things  was    without  fin. 

The  fubje£l  of  ihe  incarnation  is  Chrifl  Jefus,  II.  John  7. 
which  fome  heretics  denied,  and  thQ  nature  of  it,  is  his  taking 
part  of  flefh  and  blood,  Heb.  ii.  14.  or  becoming  flefh,  and 
coming  in  flefh,  or  affuming  a  body  fitted  for  him,  Heb.  x.  5. 
which  in  the  Pfaltps  is  mine  ears  haih  thou  opened,  Pf.  xl.  6, 
alluding  to  a  cuflom  among  the  Jews,  of  boring  the  ear  when 
one  who  might  be,  or  was  free,  voluntarily  became  a  fervant. 
Exod.  xxi.  6.  What  he  affumed  was  not  the  human,  but 
animal  nature,  which  he  had  not  at  his  birth  ;  and  hath  it  not 
now  :  it  was  only  taken  for  a  litilt  while,  for  the  fujfering  of 
death,  Heb.  ii.  y,  9,  1  4.  In  flefh  he  tabernacled  John  i.  14.  orig- 
inal, among  the  apoflles  ;  our  czrthly  houfc  of  this  tabernacle 


AND  MISSION  OF   CHRlST.  i^l 

Is  a  body  of  flefh  and  blood,  a  body  fubje£l  to  hunger  thirftj 
difeafe,  and  death.  In  this  the  incarnation  precifely  con fi fled* 
The  children  partakers  of  flcfh  and  blood,  of  which  Jefus  alfo 
himfelf  took  part,  are  the  offspring  of  God,  the  Father  of  Spir- 
its, not  in  flefh  and  blood  which  conflitutes  none  children  J 
they  were  children  before  fuch  ^participation,  and  lemain  fo 
afterwards  :  In  flefh  and  blood  they  rank  with  beafts  for  the 
prefent  that  God  might  manifefl  them  :  and^are  fubje£l  to 
vanity  ,  and  the  bondage  of  corruption,  not  willingly,  but  by 
him  (God)  who  hath  fubjetled  them  in  hope.  I.  Rom.  viii.  20. 
To  this  eflate  Jefus  defcended  in  his  incarnation,  and  was  like 
thefe  childrenj  his  brethren  as  Spirits,  and  God's  offspring  and 
differed  nothing  from  them  in  animal  refpefts,  only  that  his 
flefh  was  not  faiful,  but  the  Hkene/s  of  finful  flefh.  He  became 
what  the  firft  Adam  was  made,  by  his  incarnation,  and  is  from 
hence  called  man,  znd  the  Son  of  man,  though  the  Lord  from 
heaven  ;  I.  Cor.  xv,  5.^  and  this  is  the  fole  ground  of  thefe 
appellations  and  not  his  birth  of  the  Virgin.  Not  until  thidt 
time  did  the  days  of  his  flefh  commence.  In  fcripture  lan- 
guage we  are  called  men,  and  the  Sons  of  men  the  Fathers  ct 
our  flefh  with  refpect  to  foul  and  body,  as  difllnguifhed  from 
the  fpirit  of  which  God  is  the  fole  Father,  and  in  which  only 
we  are  diflinguifhed  from  beafls.  Jefus  flooped  to  this  eitjte 
of  the  Tons  of  men,  that  as  we  have  been  roanifefted  to  be 
beatls,  as  fons  of  men,  we  might  alfo  by  him  be  manifefled  to  be 
the  fons  of  God  by  the  adoption,  viz.  the  redemption  or  refur- 
reftion  of  the  body.  '  There  appears  to  be  wifdom  in  this 
myflery  of  godiinefs  as  thus  imperfeaiy  explained  :  And  ihaC 
the  above  account  is  right  for  thereafon  of  his  name  man  and 
the  Son  of  man,  is  evident  in  that  he  is  not  now  man,  or  the 
Son  of  man,  nor  in  the  form  of  a  fervanl  in  the  hkencfs  of 
rfien  :  but  one  liki  to  the  Son  of  man,  Rev.  i.  13,  yet  GoJl 
«/v^r  all  (the  Fath'^r  excepted)  bleOTcd  forever. 


152    OF  THE  INCARNATION,  HUMILIATION, 

The  time  of  the  incarnation  of  Jefus  Chrift  was  after  John 
began  his  miniftry,  and  before  he  began  his  own,  cr  tabernacled, 
among  the  ApoftIes»   John  i.  14. 

The  Apoftles  only  are  meant  by  the,  us,  among  whom  he 
dwelt  after  he  was  made  flefh,  even  the  zoe  who  beheld  his 
glory.  Now  it  is  evident  he  was  not  in  earn  ate  in  the  beginning 
of  John's  miniflry  ;  for  he  was  then  with  God.  But  he  was 
made  flcQi  before  he  came  in  flefh,  and  was  manifeft  unto  Ifrael. 
So  that  jufl  before  his  baptifm  and  becoming  Chrifl:  he  was  made 
fleni,  and  caine  m  flefh.  I.  John  ix.  2.  II.  John  7.  Rom.  viii. 
3.  And  was  fent  in  the  likenefs  oijinful  flefh.  As  fome  her- 
etics denied  the  coming  of  Jefus  Chrifl  injlejh,  not  the  flefh, 
for  there  is  no  article  before  the  word  for  flefh,  the  pointing 
out  their  error,  will  help  farther  to  fhew  the  nature  and  the 
time  of  the  incarnation.  The  denial  of  the  coming  of  Jefus 
Chrijt  inflejh,  is  equivalent  to  denying  the  Father  and  the  Son^  or 
that  Jefus  is  Chriji.  I.  John  ii.  22.  None  ever  denied  his  birth 
of  the  virgin,  but  the  antichrifl:s  denied  his  after  coming  in  flefh, 
and  were  righter  than  the  reputed  orthodox,  in  fuppofing  his, 
incarnation  not  to.be  at  his  birth.  Simon  Magus  and  the  Gnof- 
tics  were  thefe  antichrifls,  to  confute  whom  John  wrote  his 
gofpel.  Their  error  was  precifely  this,  that  iiiQjleJh  which 
Jefus  afTinned  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  who  had  been  born  thirty 
years  before,  in  the  reign  of  Auguflus,  was  not  real,  hxxX.  fiSli' 
tious.  They  joined  likenefs  to  flefli,  and  not  to  ftnfuL  Rom* 
viii.  3.  Bifhop  Pearfon  quotes  St.  Augufhine,  faying,  "That 
Simon  Magus  made  himfelf  to  be  Chrifl,  and  what  he  feigned  of 
himfelf  was  attributed  by  othcis  to  Chrifl  himfelf."  He  faid, 
*'  He  gave  the  law  in  mount  Sinai  by  Mofes  in  the  perfon  of 
the  Father,  and  that  he  appeared  putatively,  feignedly,  in  the 
perfon  of  the  Son  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius."  Now  it  was  in 
the  reign  of  Tiberius  that  Jefus  began  his  miniflry,  confequent- 
iy  the  coming  of  Chrifl    in  flefh    which  he  denied  was   not  at 


AND  MISSION  OF  CHRIST. 


ir>2 


ihebirtli  of  Jefus.  St.  Cyril  reprefents  Simon  asiayir.g,  '•  Je'us 
Chnft  appeared  not  in  real  flefli  but  Dokefi,  in  appearance  only." 
Hence  they  were  called  Doketai,  and  Phantafiajlai^  as  holding- 
that  Chrill's  was  not  real  flelh,  and  that  he  ruffered  in  appearance 
only,  putatively,  or  in  phantafiiiate.  Pea  rib  n,  p.  184.  Margin. 
The  fcholaftic  incarnation  is  of  a  perfon  neither  J^fus  nor 
Chrift,  but  who  became  both  thereby  :  thus  another  per- 
fon is  fubftituted  in  the  room  of  Jefus  Chrift.  who  came  \n. 
{leili,  and  was  crucified  through  wcaknefs,  and  in  all  was  our 
example,  and  as  that  other  perfon  isJiciitiouSi  we  have  a  noth- 
ing for  tht.Jubje^  of  their  incarnation.  And  as  their  incarna- 
tion is  more  than  the  adumption  of  flefh,  the  nature  of  the  true 
incarnation  is  mifreprefented  :  and  fo  alio  is  the  time,  for  it  was 
not  at  the  birth  of  Jefus,  but  about  thirty  years  after.  This  is  re- 
puted orthodoxy,  and  yet  no  reputed  heretics  were  fcarcely 
ever  guilty  of  three  more  egregious  and  fatal  errors,  and 
millakes, 

**  Being  found  in  fafbion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himfelf,  and 
became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  crofs.'* 

Here  is  another  word  exprefTive  of  the  exterior  ftate  cC 
Chrift  Jefus,  the  Schema,  fafhion  of  a  man,  which  denotes  his 
figure  and  {hape,  in  which  he  fuffered  hunger,  thirft,  eat,  drank, 
was  feen,  handled,  and  at  laft  died.  Being  thus  found  in  fafiiiori 
of  an  ordinary  man.  He  humbkd  himfelf  to  death. 

If  he  had  been  born  mortal,  it  was  his  lot,  and  there  coulcj 
be  no  room  for  his  humbling  himfelf  to  death  :  nor  any  conde- 
fcenfion  in  fubmitting  to  his  lot.  His  birth  was  no  voluntary 
Sft  of  his  humility,  and  if  he  had  been  born  mortal,  there  could 
be  no  poT:erior  a£l  of  humiliation  in  his  dying.  In  his  nativo 
ftate  as  the  Son  of  God,  even  though  born  of  a  woman,  no  law 
fubjefted  him  to  death,  but  in  the  fafhion  of  a  man  there  was 
a  law  which  obliged  him  to  die.  Into  this  ftate  after  leavipg 
the  form  of  God  in  which  he  cdvdd  not  diei  he  voluntarily 
T7 


5 54        OF  THE  EXALTATION  OF  CHRISt. 

enterea,  and  fo  humbled  himfclf  as  to  become  obedient  to  ihlS 
great  law  ot  his  condition,' and  though  the  prince  of  life  died  t 
which  death  includes  his  previous  (unerings,  and  all  that  was 
prior  to  his  refurreftion.  Death  re(pe£ls  only  the  animal  part 
of.  man  :  the  human  nature  cannot  die  naturally.  It  was  the 
man  G*>d's  fellow,  and  not  *'  the  great  Jehovah  that  died," 
and  as  God  the  S'n  in  flefh  purrhafed  the  church  with  his  own 
bloody  A6ls  XX.  28.  I.  John  iii,  16.  and  laid  down  his  life  for 
•as.  The  divine  and  human  life  He  was  born  witl^,  he  could 
not  part  with,  but  the  animal  life  of  man  he  had  affumed  he 
could  lay  down.  And  as  this  was  his  ctL'n  after  his  affumption 
of  it,  his  whole  perfon  fuffered.  No  man  took  his  life  from 
him,  but  he  died  bccaule  he  chofe  to  die,  and  eveti  fooner  than 
the  other  ma^efaftors,  To  that  Pilate  marvelled  he  was  dead  fo 
foon.  See  the  contraft  :  the  firfk  Adam  by  /e eking  his  own 
things,  expofed  himfelf  and  all  to  lofs  :  the  lecond  Adam  by 
not  pkafing  himfelf,  gained  for  himlelf  glory  and  honor,  and 
for  us  more  than  Adam  loft  for  him'elf  or  us.  In  this  He  is 
a  pattern  for  our  imitation.  *'  Let  the  fame  mind  be  in  you, 
^hat  was  alio  in  Chrift  Jefus."  The  death  Chrift  luffered 
was  the  death  of  the  crofs,  which  with  the  blood,  is  confidered 
as  the  propitiation  for  the  fins  of  the  whole  world,  the  price  of 
redemption  for  all,  from  the  curie  of  the  law  ire  force  againft 
them.'  The  (landing  of  all  is  in  redemption,  God  is  not  im- 
puting their  trefpafies  to  any  for  not  obeying  the  la\\',  but  for 
v.vt  believing  in  L  hrift.  John  iii.  36. 

,3.  The  next  Rate  of  Chrift  is  th;:t  of  exaltation, 
"  Therefore  God  hath  highly  exalted  him,"  &c. 
As  the  inanition,  incarnation,  and  humiliation  made  not 
iny  eOential  alteration  in  ihe  conftltulion  of  his  pcrfori  as  hu- 
man divine  by  its  natures  :  fo  the  exaUaiion  added  nothing  to 
it,  but  onlv  changed  Kis  fate,  Jofcph  was  the  fame  perfon 
-.vhen    in  the   pit,    in   the  dungeon,    and  when   riding  in  th« 


OF  THE  EXALTATION  OF  CHRIST.         ,55 

fecond  chariot  ;  fo  was  Jefus  when  in  the  manger,  when  with 
God,  and  God,  and  when  in  {l;;fh,  and  when  on  the  throne  of 
the  Divine  Majefty.  Therefore,  may  be  underflood  illativeiy^ 
or  caufally,  that  his  exaltation  is  either  ihe  Jequel  or  reward 
of  his  humiliation,  or  both.  L  .ke  xxiv.  26.  Heb.  xii.  2. 
This  is  what  Chrift  prays  for  after  he  had  finifhed  his  work, 
*'  Glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  folf  with  the  glory  which 
I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was  :"  John  xvii.  5.  i.  e. 
before  thee  *•  who  calieth  thole  things  which  be  not  as  though 
they  were."  Rom.  iv.  17.  This  was  (lipulated  for  in  the 
covenant  of  redemption,  which  the  father  had  decreed  him, 
when  he  was  foreordained,  and  which  he  was  now  entitled  to  ; 
the  glory  he  gave  the  apoftles,  as  the  Father  gave  it  to  him. 
And  therefore  it  was  no  elTential  glory  then  aftaally  poffefied 
by  him  :^  but  the  mediatorial  glory,  he  is  now  exalted  to. 
God  hath  hir^ly  exalt^  him,  or  fahtrexalud,  or  Xi)ilh  all  ex- 
altation. It  refpefts  his  whole  perfon  and  not  the  human  na- 
ture only,  for  that  cannot  but  be  exalted  with  the  perfon  whofe 
it  is.  Exalted  above  the  grave  in  his  refurrCiSlion,  above  the 
earth  in  his  afcenfion  to  heaven^  and  above  all  heavens,  at'  his 
Father's  right  hand  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory,  tp  ad^iiniftcr 
•11  things,  and  judge  the  world.  Eph.  i.    2.1. 

It  commenced  at  his  rerurrs:tli on,  Rom.  i.  4.  and  was  a  po- 
ii-ticai  generatipn,  Pf.  ii.  7.  Heb,  i.  56.  Afts  xiii.  32.  for  a 
king's  coronation  day,  is  his  birth  day  as  a  king.  Then  he 
was  vefted  with  sll  power  in  heaven,  and  eaith  :  Matt,  xxviii, 
J  8.  but  before  be  had  all  power  on  eartJi  as  the/on  of  man. 
Matt.  ix.  6.  Being  brought  again  into  the  world  at  his  lefur- 
re6lion,  asgels  ^re  ordered  to  zoorfiip  him.  Heb.  xi.  5.  Then 
he  became  the  creator  of  angeis  as  throne;,  dominions,  nrinci- 
palities  and  powers,  ColoL  i.  16.  17.  and  of  tlie  world  to 
come,  the  world  for  whofe  fins  he  is  the  propitiatiow.  From 
t\ri%  time  there  was  a  jural  pofition  of  all  things  und-r  his  feet^ 


i5o         OF  THE  EXALTATION  OF  CHRIST. 

Eph.  i.  20.  and  iv.  10.  Him  alone  is  excepted  which  did  pui 
all  things  under  him,  I.  Cor.  xv.  27.  He  is  now  in  J}at% 
GcQ  over  all,  blefifed  forever  more  :  the  father  of  eternal  lifs 
to  his  feed.  Ifa.  ix.  6.  Heb.  ii.  13.  True  God  (the  Ton)  and 
eternal  life,  as  Ibme  under  (land  I.  John  v.  20.  He  is  in  th^ 
univerie  what  Joieph  ^vas  in  Egypt,  Gen,  xli.  40.  "  Thou 
^ait  be  over  my  hou*e,  and  according  unto  thy  word  ihall  all 
i^y  people  be  ruled,  only  in  the  throne  will  I  be  greater  than 
thou.*'  His  exaltation  extends  to  the  utmofl  height  of  crea- 
tion, even  to  divinity  of  flate  and  condition  ;  which  is  ths 
dignity  and  fummity  of  the  peerleis  fupereminency,  and  tranf- 
cendency,  or  the  fupreme  (upremacy  of  God,  As  mere  hu- 
manity of  nature  entitles  none  to  an  earthly  throne,  neithc? 
doth  mere  divinity  of  nature  ;  \Jofeph  was  of  the  human  nature 
as  much  in  the  pit  or  dungeon,  as  when  riding  in  the  lecond 
chariot  ;  but  then  none  were  ordered  to  bow  the  knee  before 
him.  Jefus  was  as  divine  by  nature  in  the  manger,  and  in  the 
days  of  his  fleih,  as  he  is  now  :  but  then  none  treated  him  aS 
in  fiate  God.  To  fuppole  Jcfus  is  now  feated  on  God's  throne, 
being  a  creature,  is  more  incongruous,  than  to  imagine  Pharaoh 
advanced  an  ape  or  monkey  to  his  throne,  and  not  one  of 
the  fame  nature  with  himlelf,  becaule  the  difference  between 
the  hir^hefL  creature  as  fuch,  and  God,  is  greater  than  it  is  be- 
tween man,  and  animal.  The  name  given  Ckrift  above  every 
ytame,  is  the  official  dignify  of  God,  added  to  divinity  of 
"Aature  which  he  before  poffeffed.  Thus  name  fignifies  in  no* 
bilitv  learning,  fuch  as  David  his  type  ac<^aired.  II.  Sam, 
vii.  9.  Now  things  are  predicable  of  him  that  were  not  true 
before  :  i^x  fince  the  government  hath  come  upon  his  fhoul- 
AtT,  He  is  wonderful,  &c,  a  Prince  and  a  Savior  :  and  is  not 
in  the  flate  of  a  child  born  or  Son  given.  What  the  Father 
was  necedarily.  He  is  now  by  the  Father's  gift.  King  of  Kings, 
i>'jrd  of   Lords  ;  Alpha  ai)d  Omc pa,  PcntocratQ^,  Abr.ighty^  a?  . 


OF  JESUS   CHRIST.  ly^ 

all  imperial  ;  to  Him  are  afcribed  every  perfeftion  ii\  a  crea- 
turc-tranfcendent  degree,  Rev.  v.  12.  not  upon  the  account  o( 
his  eternal  Son(hip,  but  of  his  redemption,  and  a^  ihe  exahecl 
Latnb.  His  ftate  is  in  fiae  the  lupreme  fupremacy  of  God- 
head :  his  power  is  all  power,  creative,  legiflative,  judiciary, 
and  executive.  It  is  therefore  reafonabic  every  knee  ITriould 
bow  at  or  in  the  name  of  Jefus,  and  every  tongue  confe(t>  him 
Lord  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father  :  and  honor  him  as  they 
do  the  Father.  John  v.  22. 

It  appears  there  are  two  grounds  or  reasons  of  the  £liatIon 
©f  Jefus  Chrift  to  God, 

The  firfl  is,  as  Jefus,  whereby  he  is  the  Son  of  God  by  nature 
the  only  begotten  of  the  Father.  The  fecond  is,  as  Chrift, 
whereby  he  is  divine  by  Itate.  The  divinity  of  the  nature  of 
Jefus  can  only  be  proved  by  his  generation,  and  the  communi* 
cation  of  the  divine  life  to  him  therein.  But  the  divinity  of 
the  ftate  of  Chrift  is  to  be  proved  by  his  official  dignity. 
Thus  Chrift  proves  his  divinity  of  ftate  from  his  being  fandi- 
fied,  andfent  into  the  world.  John  x.  36.  Mr.  Emlyn  and 
others  who  deny  the  divine  nature  of  the  Son,  fay  he  was  only 
an  ofHcial  G  od  as  magiflrates  are.  It  is  allowed  divinity  of 
nature  is  not  aiTerted  here  in  John  x,  36.  however  it  may  be 
fuppofcd.  As  Chrift  he  is  God  by  office,  but  as  Jefus  he  is 
God  by  nature,  and  it  is  impofEble  he  fnould  be  other'vile  as  a 
Son  of  a  divine  Father.  Even  in  the  forecited  John  v.  30,  and 
38,  his  divinity  of  nature  is  alfo  intimated,  "  I  and  my  father 
ara  one,'?  and  "  the  Father  is  in  me  and  I  in  him."  San£tity 
is  divinity  of  nature,  or  life  :  and  is  only  the  vital  fubftanco, 
of  the  intelligent  agent  made  partaker  of  it  :  the  communica- 
tion of  it  to  Angels  or  the  regenerate  neither  makes  them  all 
powerful  oor  all  knowing;  A  nature  is  no  intellect  or  intellett- 
ualift,  but  the  fubftance  of  one,  and  therefore  knovvS  nothing  of 
itfelf.      Is  it   a  Vdlid   proof  that  a  man    hath    not    the  huT.srj 


^58  OF  JESUS   CHRIST. 

nature  becaufc  he  knows  not  fo  much  as  Newton,  or  cannot  rca. 
fon  like  a  Locke,  or  write  a  poem  like  Milton,  or  move  a  weight 
equal  to  Samplon  or  Archim%des  ?   Juft  as    well  Jefus  may  be 
denied  to    be  divine  by  nature  when  in  the  manger,  becaufe  he 
,  was  not    that  mighty  God  and  great  God  our  Savior  he  came 
to   be  when    the    government  was    upon    his  fhoulder.      Let 
them  prove  that  the  only  Begotten  of  the  divine  Father  can  be 
by  nature  of  a  different  fpecies  from  the  Genitor,  and  it  will  be 
to  fome  purpofe.      It  makes    nothing  when  the  Son  begins  his 
perfonai    exiftence  ;  his  life  from  the   time  of  its  being  given, 
mufl  be  divine    and    eternal   becaufe    the    Father's    is  fo.      A 
Son  can  no  more  be  coeval  with  his  Father  than,  a  creature  can 
be  coexijleyit  with  its   creator.      The  regenerate  have  nov/ eter- 
nal life  abiding  in  them,  but  Were  they  from  eternity  ?   fchohf- 
tics    fuppofe  a  difference    in  the  viode   of  the    cxijltnce    of  the 
divine  being    from  other  beings.,  and  fpeak  of  degrees   of  exifl^ 
ence  :   but  until  they  explain  therafelves  and  prove  their  alTer- 
tions,  they  muft    ftand   for  words    without  knowledge.      One 
tells  us  "  there  are  three  perfons  in  one  God  :   not  three  GodSj 
for    this   would    be   a    contradiftion  :    But    that    this    infinite 
Being  exifls  in  fuch  a  manner  as  to  be  three  fubfiflencies,  or  per. 
fons,    and    yet  but   one  G  )d,   whom    he  calls    three  one,   and 
qjotes  I.  John  v.  "7."      Now  all  men  live  in  G&d,  Atis  xvii.  28, 
&s  a  parental  providenc'e.      And  that  all  faints  are  in,  dwell  and 
abide  in  God,  and  are  one   wiih  him,  even  as   Chrift    and  the 
Father  are  one,  and  are  all  of  one.   ]  Ain  xvii.  22.   Heb.  ii.  1 1» 
But  are  all    thefc  diflinft  fubfift^ncies  or  perfons,  one  God  ? 
One  God  or  being,  cannot  have  more  than  one  intellefi:  without 
deflroying    his  individuality,  and    there    mufl    be  one  intelle6l 
to  coi.ftitute   perlonality.      To   return  from  this    digrelTion,  if 
it  be  one,    Mr.  Emlyn    and   otiicrs   mufl    advance   better    cvi, 
dcnceof  ChriPrs  not  being  divine  by  nature,  than  his  not  know* 
i.n^  the  daj  and  hour  0/"  the  judgment.   Matt.  xxiv.  36.     Jefuj* 


OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  155 

had  but  one  intelle^l,  neither  his  divine  nor  human  nature  are 
Capable  of  knowledge.  So  that  his  not  knowing  that  ddy  of 
hour,  argues  nothing  againft  his  divine  nature,  any  more  than 
againft  his  human  nature  :  nor  any  thing  againft  hisdivinity  of 
ftate,  for  he  was  then  in  ftate  man  and  the  Son  of  maoi  He 
knows  fome  tkiiigs  now  which  he  hath  received  the  knowled.^o 
of  fince.  Rev,  i.  i,  2.  He  may  know  that  now,  it  is  no  more 
degrading  to  him,  that  the  Father  gives  him  his  knoA'!ec!j;e  and 
power  of  creation  to  be  in  himielf.  than  thu  he  gave  him  his 
life  to  be  in  himfelf.  Befides  it  is  improper  hn  a  F^ithcr  te 
Gommunicate  the  arcana  imperii,  fecrets  of  government^  to  a 
Son,  before  he  hath  invefled  the  Son  in  the  government,  as  was 
the  cafe  with  J-^fus  Chrift,  when  he  denies  that  he  knew  of 
that  day  and  hour.  1  he  prevarication  fome  put  into  the  mouth 
of  Jefus,  in  whom  was  no  guilcj  that  he  did  not  know  it  as 
man,  but  knew  it  as  God,  merits  the  utmofl  reprobation,  as  a 
mean  jefuitical  evafion  of  their  own  making,  and  forging  upon 
him,  and  nothing  but  ignorance  can  be  any  foit  of  excufe  for 
them,  or  he  hath  but  oneintelle£lor  knowing  faculty,  or  cipacitVi 

Another  inferential  obfervation  may  pertinently  be  made, 
viz.  That  divinity  of  nature  aior.e,  is  no  ground  of  religiou? 
WorQiip,  but  divinity  o^  ftate  grounded  on  and  added  to  divin- 
ity of  nature  is.  It  is  only  in  his  ofHcial  chara6ler  Chrift  is 
worfhipped.  Every  mjn  pofTeffes  the  human  nature  equallv' 
with  a  king,  and  yet  that  nature  is  no  objeft  of  civil  worfliip, 
but  only  the  perfon  of  him  who  is  in  ftate  king.  V/hilcS 
Jeius  was  God's  holy  child  and  heir,  he  was  truly  divine  by 
nature,  but  dire£t  aCU  of  divine  worfiiip  were  not  then  paid 
to  him. 

The  woi  fiiip  of  th6  wifti  men  ^'as  civil  according  to  thd 
^^aftern  mode  ;  it  wab  paid  to  the  born  king  of  the  Jews,  bui. 
it  does  not  appear  that  they  viewed  him  as  divine.  The  wof-* 
JA'.p    ordered    to  be   given  him  is  becaufe  of  his  being  the  i'or\ 


iU  OF  JESUS  CHRIST,  A'^b 

&f  man,  and  having  all  judgment  committed  to  hirn.  John  v.  ^^^ 
As  Jefns  he  was  the  image  of  his  father's  perfon,  but  as  Chrift 
in  lis  exaltation  he  is  the  image  of  the  eternal  majefty  whom 
vie  adore.  He  that  honcrelh  not  the  Son  in  his  million,  hon- 
orcth  not  the  Father  who  fent  him.  The  exalted  Lamb  is  wor- 
■n-jjppcd  by  faints  and  angels  for  his ftate  and  works.  Rev.  v.  X2. 
V/oi{hip  paid  Chrifl  only  as  an  official  God,  would  be  only 
fuch  as  is  civil,  and  magiftrates  have  a  right  to,  as  fons  of  the 
Mod  High.  The  worfhipping  the  divine  nature,  doth  not 
determine  the  perfonal  Being  who  is  the  objeft  of  it,  for  the 
divine  nature  is  partook  of  by  all  holy  beings  in  a  degree,  and 
yet  3YC  not  any  creatures  objefts  of  worfhip,  becaufe  not  in 
ftate  divine.  The  truth  is,  the  divine  nature  is  no  perfonal 
3gent,  but  the  vital  fubftance  of  one,  and  it  is  for  the  ftate  of 
3  perfonal  agent  in  this  nature  that  he  is  worfliipped.  Should 
any  objecl  that  we  are  to  worfhip  God  only,  and  therefore 
5f  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghoft,  were  not  in  conjuntlion 
one  God,  it  would  be  idolatry  to  worfhip  the  Son.  The 
jnfwer  is  cafy,  the  worfp^ip  paid  the  Son  is  not  fupreme  though 
it  is  diviney  but  is  fuch  as  the  divine  Father  orders  to  be  paid 
to  the  divine  Son,  to  His  own  glory.  Phil.  ii.  2.  The  intelli- 
gent chnftian  who  knotvs  the  only  ttue  God,  and  Him  whom 
jie  hath  fent,  worfhips  each  according  to  their  perfonal  idea  and 
ftate,  and  for  their  perfonal  works,  and  doth  not  confound  the 
fender^  and  the  Tent,  and  the  whole  of  the  worfhip  of  Jeful 
Chrifl;  redounds  to  the  glory  of  the  Fatherj  the  fountain  of  all 
divinity  of  nature  and  ftate. 

It  is  Jcfus  Chrift  as  exalted,  that  is  the  mediatorial  creato^ 
or  all  things,  as  fhall  be  fhewn  in  its  place,  which  determines  the 
nature  and  time  of  his  creation.  That  it  is  fpiritual  and  heav- 
enly, not  natural,  earthly,  or  material,  and  that  it  did  not  take 
phce  till  at  or  after  his  refurredion,  the  beginning  of  his  ex- 
altation. 


THE  RESTITUTION  OF^ALL  THINGS.         i^i 

jefus  Chri/l  In  his  exaltation  is  the  fecond  perfon  in  liie 
chriftian  trinity,  which  is  the  triune  adniituflration  of  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

An  eternal  Son,  and  an  eternal  Trinity,  are  mere  fcholafli- 
eifms,   human  inventions,  and  groundlels  traditions. 

There  was  no  Trinity  before  the  rerurre£hon  of  Chrift,  and 
there  will  be  none  after  he  hath  delivered  up  the  kingdom  ta 
the  Father,  and  God  fhall  be  all  in  all.  Nczj  the  government 
is  that  of  the  Father,  of  whom  are  all  things,  and  of  the  Son, 
by  whom  are  all  thihgs,  and  of  the  fame  Spirit,  through  whom 
are  all  things. 

The  fourch  and  lad  flate  of  Jefus  Chrifc  is  what  Divines  fay 
as  little  of,  as  they  do  of  the  fiift,  and  vv'ith  as  much  confufion. 
And  although  it  is  not  to  take  place,  until  the  prefent  ftate. 
come  to  an  end  it  is  beO:  to  defcribe  it  here,  that  the  reader  may 
ha^'e  a  connefted  view  of  the  fourfold  flates  of  Jetus  Chri.'fc 
the  Son  of  God.  The  fulleil  account  of  this  lafc  flate  is  in 
I.  Cor.  XV.  24,  28.  The  delign  of  the  apof!ls  is  to  prove  ths 
refurrection  of  Chrift,  and  the  conferjuential  refurreftion  of  all 
others,  each  in  their  order.  ChrlH:  is  to  reign  in  his  prefent 
excited  (late,  till  he  hath  put  down  all  rule,  power,  and  author- 
itybut  his  own  ;  and  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet,. and  def- 
troyed  death  the  laft  :  then  cometh  the  cr.dy  and  he  fliall  deliv- 
er up  the  kingdom  to  God  even  the  Father  :  and  as  the  Father 
who  piit  all  things  jurally  under  Chriil,  is  excepted  from  being 
put  under  him,  fo  when  all  things  iriall  be  fubduedunto  Chrift, 
then  fhall  the  Son  alfo  be  fubjeft  unto  him,  that  put  all  things 
tinder  him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all*.  The  above  great  events 
are  to  tr.ke  place  *•  in  the  times  of  the  re/titutiori  of  all  things,  which 
God  hathfpohenby  the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets  face  the  world 
Ifcgan,"  Afts  iii.  21.  As  the  Mellias  was  to  come  to  reflore  all 
things,  and  a  reduction,  reditution,  or  rcfloration  implies  that 
there  v/as  an  original  flate  of  all  things  to  which  the  relloratioa 
is  to  be  made,  and  a  prefent  derangement  of  all  tilings  : 

w 


i62  OF  JESUS  CHRIST,  AND 

1.  That  original  and  Jirjl  Jlate  of  things  mufl  be  defcribed.  that 
zot  may  determine  zvhat  things  are  to  be  refiored^  and  to  what 
degree  and  extent  this  rejloration  is  to  take  place. 

The  reader  muil  take  a  retrcJpect  to  the  ftate  of  all  things 
in  God's  iiifi:  creation  and  kingdom.  For  no  beings  or  things 
will  have  place  in  the.  kingdom  of  Gcd  all  in  all,  but  what 
had  a  prior  exigence  in  the  original  and  firft  creation  and  king- 
dom of  God  :  for  nothing  can  be  reftored  to  what  it  never 
was,  though  the  reftoration  may  perhaps  be  to  the  firft  ftate  with 
fome  advaniage.  '  The  original  creation  of  God  hath  been  de- 
fcribed  as  confifting  of  the  matter  of  all  things  out  of  nr,ihing, 
though  the  word  create  in  no  language  implies  io  much,  be- 
caufc  necefTitv  of  being  cannot  be  attributed  to  any  thing  but 
Ov.d.  Bur  cre?tion  properl^  is  the  change  of  the  ftate  and 
nature  cf  precxiftenL  thui^s.  Thus  ?he  flarry  and  planetary 
Corporeal  univerie  was  put  into  order,  after  a  previous  creation 
of  the  marrer  of  it  as  a  building  is  htly  framed  together.  But 
oui  earthly  lydem  was  in  a  chaotic  {Inte,  and  needed  a  farther 
adornoi  ion,  when  ihc  firft  creation  of  God  took  place,  and  was 
not  included  m  it  ;  and  therefore  nothing  in  or  of  the  Mofaie 
creation  is  to  he  reftored  to  its  firft  chaotic  ftate,  or  the  ftate 
in  which    it  was  placed  by  the  Hcxemeron  creation, 

Belides  the  ft'arry  and  pbnetary  corporeal  univerfe,  the 
heaven  of  beatitude  locally  underftood,  belonged  to  that  crea- 
tion, fixed  for/iewhere  withi^  the  region  of  the  planets  and 
fixed  ftars.  '' 

And  to  inhabit  thefe  celeftial  regions  a  uni^'erfe  of  rationals 
^v8s  formed  all  at  once,  independent  of  each  other,Jpirits.  iffuing 
from  the  father  of  fpirits,  and  holy,  as  idumg  from  the  fountain 
of  fanfllty,  otherwife  they  would  have  been  unfit  for  fbciety 
with  God,  or  to  be  loyal  fuhjeflsof  his  kingdom.  They  were 
under  la vv  to  God,  even  the  holy  fpiritual  moral  law,  requir- 
ing unfinning  obedience,  which  was  a  covenant  of  life  between 
Sod  aiid  them,  being  obeyed  in  contijiued  life,  but  could  not 


OF  THE  RESTITUTION  OF  ALL  THINGS.     i6§ 

give  life  to  tranfgreffors.  In  this  (late  all  were  holy  and  happy  : 
and  God  was  all  in  all.  There  was  no  finer  evil,  conicquciit- 
ly  no  mediator,  redeemer,  renewer  or  fandifier,  needed  in  that 
ftate.  They  were  free  as  moral  agents  muft  be  :  but  uncon- 
finned  in  their  (landing,  and  therefore  fell  through  abuie  of 
liberty.  The  Hebrews  mention  two  orders  ofthefe  raiionals, 
whom  they  call  Cherubim,  and  Ifchim  ;  lome  of  ihc  fjrmer 
the  fame  with  the  angels  kept  not  their  firfl  eflate,  and  all  of 
the  latter  have  left  their  own  habitation  and  (landing  in  the 
originaL  kingdom  of  God.  The  Kchim  are  what  we  now  call 
human  fouls  or  Spirits.  In  Spirits  phyfically  confidered 
there  is  no  fpeCific  but  gradual  difference  only.  The  Mofaic 
creation  and  the  whole  (late  of  things  in  our  world,  prove  an 
a£lual  derangement  from  that  firft  Rate  of  things.  And  no 
things  originated  by  the  jMofaic  creation  are  to  be  redored  :  as 
they  are  only  terreftrial  and  animal. 

To  effeft  the  reftitution  of  all  things  relating  to  human 
fpirits,  the  prediftive  curfe  of  the  ferpent  *'  thit  the  feed  of  the 
woman  fhould  bruife  his  head,"  is  introduftory,  next  comes 
the  promiffi  to  Abraham  that  in  him  and  in  his  feed  all  nations 
of  the  earth  fhould  be  bleffed.  And  after  this  all  the  proph- 
ecies which  fpeakof  the  reftoration  of  the  Jews  and  others,  comje 
jn  proof  of  the  reftitution. 

When  Jcfus  Chrifl  came  in  flefn  it  was  as  a  common  Sav- 
iour, h«  was  equally  allied  to  all  men,  and  gave  himfelf  a 
ranfom  for  all  alike  to  be  teftified  in  due  time.  All  that  ever 
hdve  been,  fince  the  world  began,  recovered  and  reflored,  ar.* 
indebted  to  the  grace  of  God  through  him  therefor,  as  he  was 
foreordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  and  was  the 
Lamb  flain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  for  thispurp^fe  : 
and  all  that  are  ever  reftored  in  future,  muH:  own  that  their 
ranfom,  even  if  it  be  from  the^iV,  is  by  the  blood  of  the  cove- 
nant, or  by  Jefus  Ckrift  as  flain  for  us. 


i6i     OF  THE  RESTITUTION  OF  ALL  THINGS, 

There  is  a  jural  reftitution  of  al!  things  already  accomplifhed 
in  confequence  of  whal  ChriCl  hath  already  done,  by  the  Fa- 
ther's committing  all  things  into  Chrift's  hands,  putting  all 
things  in  fubjeclion  under  his  feet,  fo  as  to  leave  nothing  that 
is  not  put  under  him.    Heb,  ii.  8. 

In  this  fenfe  be  hath  reconciled  all  things,  in  heaven  and 
parth,  and  created  all  things  anew,  a  general  peace,  a  new- 
world,  and  kingdom  of  God,  a  new  teftament  covenant  and 
law,  *'  old  things  are  pafled  avv^ay,  behold  all  things  are  become 
new." 

But  the  aBual  reftitution  of  sU  things  is  not  yet  accom- 
pliflied,  "  We  fee  not  yet  all  things  put  under  Chrift,  but 
we  iee  Jefus,  vho  was  made  lower  than  the  angels /or  a  litik 
zjohile^  for  the  (uftering  of  d^ath,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor"  to  eiie£l  it.  Heb.  ii.  9.  original.  And  wc  exprefsly 
read  that  he  muft  reign  till  all  enemies  are  put  under  him,  and 
death  itfelf  the  laft  is  deftroyed.  He  was  manifefted  to  deftroy 
the  works  of  the  devil  :  fliall  he  not  do  it  ?  Nay  he  became  . 
incarnate  that  he  might  deftroy  the  devil  himfelf,  and  he  will 
doit.  The  devil  and  his  adherents  2ls  Juch  are  not  of  God*s 
creation,  they  had  no  exift;ence  in  God's  original  creation  and 
kingdom,  nor  will  they  have  any  being  in  God's  final  king- 
dom. God  will  not  fuftcr  an  eternal  blemifh  in  his  works,  or 
evil  to  be  endlefs.  He  canpot  be  relatively  ail  in  all  until  all 
evil  and  evil  beings  as  fuch,  and  every  plant  not  of  God's  plant- 
ing, are  deftroyed  and  rooted  out.  God  being  love  without 
hatred,  gave  only  beneficial  being  to  rationals  ;  their  chief 
end  is  to  glorify  God  and  enjoy  him  forever.  He  wills  their 
falvation  in  the  way  of  hc4inefs,  through  coming  to  the  kno\\r- 
ledge  of  the  truth  :  who  fhall  effeftually  fruftrate  this  end  ? 
can  it  be  done  by  tiny  creatures  ?  they  who  think  it  can  en- 
tertain very  unworthy  apprehenfions  of  the  Almighty,  and  fo 
do  they  who  fuppofe    he   defigned  any  for   endlefs  mifery  in 


OF  THE  RESTITUTION  OF  ALL  THINGS       i6^ 

giving  them  being.  That  this  was  necefTary  for  God's  glory,  or 
for  the  good  of  the  whole,  is  utterly  abfurd.  The  being,  de- 
ligned  for  endlefs  mifery  in  his  produdion,  can  be  under  no 
obligation  to  his  creator,  confecjuently  cannot  fin,  which  is  a 
violation  of  obligation.  The  good  of  no  whole  can  confift 
in  the  mifery  of  the  individuals  that  compole  it.  And  that 
the  glory  of  God,  or  the  happinefs  of  the  righteous,  fhould 
be  promoted  by  the  endlefs  mifery  of  fome,  is  utterly  inadmifii- 
ble,  as  repugnant  to  their  natures  and  benavolent  characters. 
The  happy  themfelves  delight  in  the  happinefs  of  others,  and 
not  in  their  mifery,  and  the  benevolent  will  piomoteit  ali  in 
their  power.  There  is  in  all  rationais  fomething  that  was  in 
God,  which  he  has  not  by  their  defeftion  loft  his  propriety  in, 
and  he  has  not  relinquiflied  his  right  to  it.  They  were  once 
holy  and  happy,  and  will  be  reftored  again  to  their  primitive 
ftate,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all  to  them,  which  he  is  not  at 
prefent,  but  will  be  at  the  end  of  Chrid's  mediatorial  reign. 
Chrift  is  faid  to  be  «•'  all  and  in  all."  Colof.  iii.  ii.  He  is  all 
in  himfelf  as  mediator  ;  and  in  all  the  redeemed  in  a  meaf- 
mre.  But  he  is  in  none  all  in  all,  without  any  interponng  and. 
So  far  as  he  is  all  and  in  all  to  any,  there  is  forae  detraction  from 
the  Father,  fo  that  he  is  not  all  in  all  as  he  will  be  when  Che 
all  power  given  to  the  Son  is  reftored  to  him  that  gave  it. 
God  gave  Chrift  to  be  "  Head  over  all  things  to  the  church, 
which  is  his  body,  the  fulnefs  of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all.'- 
Eph.  i.  22,  23.  But  here  a  prefent  deficiency  is  implied  as 
the  filling  is  not  completed,  and  to  be  all  in  all  is  fometl.'ing 
more  than  to  ^// all  in  all,  and  this  isalfo  a  kind  of  detention 
from  the  Father  of  that  which  he  was  originally,  and  is  to  be 
finally.  As  in  the  multitude  of  people  is  the  king's  honor  : 
but  in  the  want  of  people  is  the  doftrudion  of  the  prince. 
Prov.  xiv.  28  :  lo  God's  relative  all  in  al'fhip  is  detrafted 
from  him  while  any  of  his  fubjcQs  continue  unholy  and  rcb:" 


i66       OF  THE  RESTITUTION  OF  ALL  THINGS. 

lious.  The  reflitutlon  of  all  to  God  and  heaven  will  be  irj 
n  way  confident  with  all  the  divine  perfeftions  ;  he  is  a  juft 
God  and  a  Savior.  All  will  be  his  willing  people  in  the  day 
of  his  power,  and  fome  will  be  Uved/o  as  by  fir t. 

When  the  Son  delivers  up  the  kingdom,  and  is  himfelf  fub- 
je£t  to  the  Father,  he  will  retire  from  government,  and  return 
to  the  flate  and  form  of  God  he  was  in  before  his  incarnation, 
full  of  ail  the  fatisfaftion,  and  with  all  the  honor  and  glory 
refulting  from  his  beneficial  work.  He  will  be  as  glorious  in 
giving  'dp  as  in  receiving  the  kingdom. 

The  advocates  for  endlefs  fin  and  mifcrv  ftill  continue  God's 
creation  and  kingdom  divided  and  deranged  :  G;^d  is  not  aad 
never  can  be  all  in  all,  according  to  them,  to  the  whole  of  it. 
He  endures  in  his  creation  what  is  not  of  his  making,  and  what 
])is  foul  hates  and  abhors,  A  ufurping  devil  is  paramount  to 
him  in  the  number  of  his  fubjefts.  Some  of  them  fay  Chrifl 
died  only  for  a  few,  but  all  for  whom  he  died  will  be  faved. 
Oihers  fay  he  died  for  all,  and  yet  finally  will  lo^e  moft  of  his 
redeemed.  But  neither  of  them  can  give  a  fatisf-iftory  realon 
for  the  endlefs  duration  of  {in  and  mifery,  nor  reconcile  it  te 
the  benevolence,  holinefs,  wifoom,  and  even  juftice  of  God, 
Endleis  punifhment  cannot  be  proved  to  be  conducive  to  God's 
glory,  or  the  benefit  of  the  righteous,  who  are  perfected  by 
love  and  net  by  fear,  and  confirmed  in  their  hnppy  condition 
without  need  of  fuch  a  fpeftacle  of  milery  always  before  them, 
who  as  ifTung  from  God  they  are  always,  and  ever  will  b« 
bound   to  love. 

What  hath  caufed  many  to  deny  the  falvation  of  all  men  is 
their  fuppofing  the  general  judgment  tnds  the  mediator's  reign 
and  that  this  life,  be  it  longer  or  fhortcr,  is  the  only  time  of 
fTiCrcy*  to  the  fpiiits  and  fouls  God  hath  made.  But  thcfe  are 
{liewn  to  be  miflakes  by  many  able  writers  on  this  fubje6>,  and 
to  thefe  the  reader  is  referred. 


OF  THE  RESTITUTION  OF  ALL  THINGS,      i^^ 

In  the  kingdom  of  God  all  in  all,  i\\  communicnions  are 
immediately  from  God  as  the  fountain  to  t'very  ft i earn  :  and 
he  communicates  kiynfdf,  to  theutmofl  finite  beings  are  capabla 
of  receiving.  All  zrc  Jdlcd  with  all  the  fulnefs  of  God.  Eph.- 
iii.  19.  And  this  is  their  permanent  and  immutable  condition. 
Into  this  kingdom  of  G'>d  all  in  all,  the  m'^diatorial  kingdom 
empties  itielf,  as  into  a  vail  ocean,  and  becomes  ejided,  as  to  its 
mode  of  adminiflratiop.  God's  kingdom  will  come  under  hio' 
fole  pergonal  government.  The  economies  that  have  been,  or 
now  are,  do  in  a  mealure  detract  from,  or  eclipfe,  the  ^lory, 
dominion,  and  eternal  lovereignty  of  the  one  God.  The  lav^ 
was  the  vvord  fpoken  by  angels  ;  and  even  the  gofpel  thongli 
to  the  glory  of  the  one  God  the  Father,  and  the  Father  hirn- 
felf  is  exempted  from  the  all  things  put  under  Chrift,  yet  being 
the  kingdom  of  the  Son,  a  human  divine  perfon,  it  mud  give 
way  to  this  eternal  kingdom.  The  kingdom  of  the  mediator  fluU 
have  no  end  in  its  efecis,  yet  it  mull  have  an  end  in  its  admiu- 
iflration.  Being  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  properly,  it  fiiall 
lafb  until  He  is  fully  glorified,  and  then  the  appropriate  ku-g- 
dom  of  the  Father  fhall  come  in  ablolute  eternity.  The  whole 
of  creation,  the  beauties  of  providence,  and  the  grace  of  re- 
demption (hall  then  be  {czn  in  the  majefty  of  the  Father,  the 
fource  and  end  of  all.  The  whole  flate  of  rule,  power,  and  au- 
thority, fhail  be  taken  away  by  Chrift  from  all  creatures,  and  be 
delivered  up  by  him  to  the  Father,  from  whence  all  originated, 
and  He  alone  fliall  be  all  in  all,  to  his  Son,  and  the  redeemed 
forever.  What  the  Son  then  iljall  be  depends  upon  what  He; 
was  before  the  mediatorial  undertaki^ig.  He  was  God  with 
God,  and  fubiiftedin  the  form  of  God,  and  therefore  will  not 
be  m  the  rank  of  a  general  to  execute  an  important  commi!- 
fion  and  then  return  into  the  rank  of  icllow  fubjetls  :  but  will 
remain  the  divine  Son  of  a  divine  Father,  and  enjoy  all  the 
glory  and  fdicity  of  his  atcbievements,  and  the  fatisfacticn  of 


i68     OF  THE  RESTITUTION  OF  ALL  THINGS. 

feeing  all  his  redeemed  fafe  and  happy  forever.  The  preferit 
reign  of  Chrifl;  is  for  the  fubduing  of  every  oppofing  power, 
Jews,  Romans,  Turks,  Kings,,  and  Infidels,  Sin,  Death  and 
the  Devil.  Then  every  branch  of  his  mediatorial  ofEce  fliall 
ceaie.  The  prophetic  with  all  need  of  inftrudion  will  be 
fucceeded  by  the  beatifical  vifion,  and  perfe6tion  of  knowledge  : 
prefent  fruition  will  prevent  oblation,  and  interceflion,  and 
p^rft^Bfecurity  in  life  eternal,  will  prevent  all  need  of  rule  and 
prott6tion.  But  the  real  glory  of  Chrift,  and  the  faved,  wilt 
not  be  dirainifhcd  but  rather  enhanced.  The  end  of  ail  dif- 
penfations  hath  been  to  manifefl  God  to  his  creatures  ;  all 
that  ever  hath  been,  fhall  be,  or  can  be,  is  to  be  found  in  God  : 
therefore  whatever  hath  been  in  all  the  economics  of  time, 
fnall  be  fcen  in  this  infinite  mirror,  with  ail  the  glorious  attri- 
butes of  wifdom,  juftlce,  power,  grace,  holinefs,  &c.  clearly 
fhining  out  in  them,  and  fully  underflood,  (hall  be  vifiblein 
the  glorious  fountain  of  all.  Whatever  perfe£lions  the  mind 
of  any  creature  can  or  fhall  have  any  apprehenfions  of,  are  in 
God.  And  none  can  have  fo  high  conceptions  of  God  in  the 
kingdom  of  Chrift,  as  they  will  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  all 
in  all  :   for  they  will  fee  him  as  He  is. 

Now  they  know  the  exemplar  by  the  image,  but  then  God 
will  manifefl  himfelf  direftly  and  fully,  and  they  v/ill  be  for- 
tified to  bear  it.  God  being  infinite,  the  infinity  of  glory 
which  he  is,  cannot  indeed  be  taken  in  at  once  by  finite  beings  ; 
therefore  there  will  be  eternal  new  and  frefh  glories  and 
plealures  without  fatiety,  breaking  in  upon  the  whole  ftate  of 
angels  and  Saints.  A  river  of  life,  and  pleafure  ever  flowing 
always  fre(h  and  new.  All  have  all  fo  far  as  finite  beings  can, 
and  yet  neio,  becaule  they  cannot  have  all  at  once.  The  great- 
nefs  of  this  kingdom  is  inconceivable  as  it  draws  up  into  its 
vortex  all  rationais  of  God's  creation,  as  they  all  iffued  from 
the  Father  of  fpirits,   and  the  fountain  of  fandity,  fo  they  vail 


Of  THE  PERSONAL  NAME  JESUS.  169 

bd  brought  home  in  him.  And  there  will  abide  as  in  their 
eternal  manfion.  Then  Chrifl  perronally  will  be  more  glorious 
upon  delivering  up  the  kingdom  than  upon  his  reception  of  it. 
The  above  fourfold  ftates  belong  to  Jefus  Chrill,  and  not  to 
any  eternal  Son,  or  Logos,  nor  to  any  mere  nature  which  is  no 
agent,  but  like  a  cypher  without  an  integer,  of  no  denomina- 
tion,  feparate  from  its  fubje6t* 


CHAP.  VII, 


i)j  the  pcrfdnal  name  Jfe/us  :  His  ojzce  as  Chrijl  :  Dignity  as 
tUz  One  Lord  :  A  creator  under  this  charaSler  :  His  creation 
a  proof  cf  his  divinity  of  Ji ate  and  nature, 

THE  contents  of  this  chapter  are  included  in  the  words 
bf  the  Apoftle,  "  One  Lord  Jcfus  Chrift,  by  whom  are  all 
things,  and  we  by  Him,"  I.  Cor.  viii.  6.  As  the  Father  is 
the  one  God,  in  oppofition  to  the  gods  many,  and  in  difdnBioii 
from  the  Son  :  fo  Jefus  Chrifl  is  the  one  Lord  in  oppofition 
to  the  lords  many,  and  in  diJlinSiion  from  the  Father*  For 
though  the  Father  is  Lord,  and  Chriti:  is  God,  yet  the  fupre- 
macy  belongs  to  the  Father  in  both  titles,  as  appears  from  thd 
addition,  "  of  v/homare  all  things,"  which  is  fomething  more 
than,  '•  by  whom  are  all  things/'  applied  to  the  Son.  Mr^ 
Pool's  continuators  quote  a  learned  author  as  faying,  **  That 
although  the  name  God  is  often  given  to  the  Son,  yet  no  where 
by  St.  PaijJ,  wheil  he  makes  mention  of  God  the  Father  :  from 
hence  he  concludes  the  preeminence  of  tha  Father  to  Chrifr, 
and  the  Son's  preeminence  to  all  others,  the  Father  alone  ex- 
cepted, according  to  \.  Cor.  ::v,  27."  it  may  be  added  that 
although  the  Father  is  Lord,  and  the  Son  is  alfo  Lord,  yet  not 
X 


*70         OF  THE  OFFICIAL  TITLE  CHRIST. 

in  the  fame  fupreme  fcnfe.  Both  are  not  one  God,  nor  both 
one  Lord  in  any  fcnfe,  nor  God  and  Lord  in  the  fame  fenfc, 
r hough  both  are  tranfcendent  to  creatures. 

J.  Jcfus  is  the  perfonal  name  of  the  Holy  Thing  whofe  gen-' 
eration,  nativity,  &c.  hath  been  defcribed,  given  him  at  his 
circumcifion,  as  had  been  ordered  by  the  angel  before  his  birth. 
It  was  a  common  name  among  the  Jews,  and  like  others  figni- 
ficant,  efpecially  when  given  by  divine  command.  Among 
ail  the  perfonal  types  of  Jefus,  Odiea  the  fon  of  Nun,  was 
moft  eminent  in  his  names  and  works. 

Mofes  calls  him  Jehofliua,  or  Jofhua  ;  and  as  Ofliea  fignifies 
falvation,  or  the  defire  of  it,  fo  Jofhua  fignifies  the  certain  fu- 
turition  of  falvation  by  the  perfon  fo  named.  Thus  much 
the  angel  exprcfleth,  "  He  himfelf  Iball  fave  his  people  from 
their  fins."  Luke  i.  31.  This  name  is  equivalent  to  Emman- 
uel by  prefixing  Jah  to  Olhea,  which  is  God  the  Savior  is 
with  us.  Matf.  i.  2-2. 

But  Jefus  was  not  born  a  Savior  in  atlual  office,  but  was 
made  Chrifi;  the  Lord,  and  exalted  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Savior. 

2.  Chrift  is  an  ofncial  name  added  to  Jefus,  and  is  the  fame 
with  Meffiah  in  Plebrew,  and  anointed  in  EngliOi. 

Jefus  was  made  Chrift  as  a  man  is  made  an  officer,  and  this 
was  at  his  baptifm  by  John.  Time  was  when  Jefus  was  not 
Chrifi,  to  fuppofe  a  Chnft  before  Jefus  is  abfurd,  becaufe  it 
places  the  office  before  the  perlbn.  Milton  and  others  who 
fpeak  of  the  MelfiaL's  afting  as  chief  general  of  the  eternal 
king  againft  Satan,  know  not  what  they  fay.  Chrift  was  the 
objeft  of  the  divine  foreordination  before  the  foundation  ot 
the  world,  but  this  came  not  to  pafs  until  almoft  thirty  years 
afier  the  birtli  of  Jcfus,  When  a  perion  v»^a3  made  Chrift  he 
was  fct  apart  to  feme  fpecial  office,  which  is  a  political  creation, 
or  making  of  him.  Prophets,  Priefts,  and  Kings,  were  fo  many 
Chrifts:  but    one  was   expefted   who   was   to   be  above  his 


OF  THE  OFFICIAL  TITLE  CHRIST. 


171 


fellows.  Hcb.  i.  9.  John  iv.  25.  This  expe6lation  prevailed 
among  the  Jews,  Samaritans,  and  other  nations,  as  feveral  lear- 
ned writers  have  proved.  "When  the  trees  made  them  a  king, 
they  chrified  him,  invefted  him  in  office.  Jud.  ix.  8.  The  King's 
prophets  and  prieds  were  made  chrifts  by  unftion.  As  the  Judai- 
cal  economy  was  typical  of  the  chriftian,  and  its  government  con- 
fifted  of  thefe  three  offices,  fo  Jefus  as  Chrifl:  fuftains  them  all. 

His  unftion  to  the  prophetic  office  is  predi£led  in  the  Old 
Teflament  and  fulfilled  in  the  new.  I(a.  Ixi.  1.  Luke  iv.  21. 
Acls  iii.  22.  And  in  his  preparation ^  aSlual  mi^on,  and  exi- 
tution  of  this  office,  He  was  fuperior  to  all  prophets.  While 
with  God  he  received  his  inftruftions  from  his  Father,  and 
was  taught  what  to  fay,  and  tcftify.  John  iii.  32.  He  was 
fan6iij.cdi  fet  apart  to  his  work,  fealed,  commillioned  to  engage 
in  it,  and  zOimWy /ent  to  execute  it.  His  inauguration  was 
at  his  baptifm  when  he  was  anointed  with  the  Holy  Ghoft. 
In  the  execution  of  his  office,  he  declared  the  Father,  as  having 
keen  in  his  bofom,  John  i.  17.  of  his  bofom  council;  therefore 
is  he  called  the  Word,  and  his  very  enemies  owned  no  man 
fpake  like  him,  and  his  friends,  that  he  had  the  words  of  eternal 
life.  And  his  works  bare  v/itnefs  that  the  Father  fent  him. 
John  xviii.  37. 

As  Chrift,  Jefus  fuftained  the  prieftly  ojjice,  not  after  the 
order  of  Aaron,  for  he  was  of  Judah,  but  t)f  a  more  ancient 
order,  even  that  of  the  firll  born.  Yet  what  Aaron  did  in  his 
office  was  typical  of  what  Chrift  was  to  do  in  his,  by  way  of 
ohlation^  intercejjion  and  benediEiion, 

In  way  of  oblation,  he  had  fomewhat  to  offer,  as  a  body  zoas 
fitted  for  him.  Heb.  x.  5.  viii.  3.  And  he  became  a  conle- 
crated,  everlafting,  and  royal  high  priefi:  after  the  order  of 
Melchifedeck  when  he  afcended  up  on  high. 

Scholaflics  have  written  much  concerning  the  infinite  evil 
^f  fin,  and  the  neceffity^of  an  infinite  atonement.     Some  have 


172         OF  THE  OFFICIAL  TITLE  CHRIST. 

thought  that  the  penalty  of  Adam's  fin,  was  death  temporal, 
fpiritual  and  eternal  ;  and  one  thinks  it  was  death  eternal  only. 
Whatever  his  punifhment  was,  He  and  all  his  defcendants 
fuffer  it  in  its  full  extent,  and  Chrifi:  frees  none  from  it.  That 
Chrlfl;  fuffered  death  fpiritual  and  eternal,  fcholaftics  will  find 
it  difficult  to  prove,  Chrift  was  put  to  death  in  flefh,  and 
becaufe  the  affumed  body  of  flefli  was  his  own,  He  laid  down 
his  life  for  us,  and  as  God  manifeft  in  flefli,  purchafed  the 
church  with  his  own  blood.  It  was  the  perfon  of  Jefus  that 
fufiered,  and  not  one  or  more  natures  :  and  His  dignity,  and 
the  Father's  appointment  and  acceptance  of  him  therein,  ren- 
dered it  available  to  atone  for  all  fins.  Though  in  Adam 
all  die  without  exception,  even  fo  in  Chrifl:  fliall  all  be  m.ad« 
alive.  But  not  as  was  the  ofience  fo  alfo  is  the  free  gift  :  for 
the  life  by  Chrifi:  is  eternal.  I.  Cor.  xv,  22.  Rom.  v.  15. 
Thus  the  infinite  evil  of  fin,  and  its  infinite  atonement,  be- 
come infinitely  intelligible  to  z  jinite  capacity. 

As  a  prie^.  Jefus  Chrifl  ever  lives  to  intercede  for  us,  and 
upon  this  foundation  is  built  our  perfuafion  of  his  ability 
to  lave  to  the  utteiraofl  the  comers  to  God  by  him.  Heb. 
viii,  25. 

Thelafl branch  of  the  prieft's  office  is  benediftion.  I.  Chron. 
Sixiii.  13.  Gen.  xiv.  19.  The  6nly  facerdotal  aft  of  Melchif- 
edeck  upon  record  is,  his  blcfTing  God,  and  Abraham.  The 
Jews  fay  the  priefls  blelTed  the  people  in  the  mornings  but  not 
in  the  evening,  to  fignify  that  in  the  evening  of  the  world,  the 
benediction  of  the  law  fhould  ceafe,  and  the  bencdiftion  of  the 
MefTiah  fiicceed  it,  1  his  may  be  intimated  by  the  dumbnefs 
of  Zechaiiah  the  father  of  John  liaptifl,  Chrifl's  forerunner. 

Chrifl  began  his  fermon  on  the  Mount  with  blejfed  ;  at 
leaving  the  world  he  hkjfcd  his  difciples.  But  at  his  confecra- 
tion,  *'  God  having  railed  up  his  Son  Jefus,  fent  him  to  blefs 
1}S,  in  turning  every  one  from  their  iniquities,'*   A£ls  iii.  26. 


OF  THE  OFFICIAL  TITLE  CHRIST.         i-.> 

No  man  taketh  the  honor  of  the  prieflhood  upon  himfelf. 
but  he  that  is  called  of  God  as  was  Aaron  :  Chrift  glorified 
not  himfelf  to  be  made  an  high  prieft,  but  he  that  faid  unto 
him,  thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.  Heb. 
X.  4,  5.      This  was  at  his  refurreftion  from  the  dead. 

Jefus  as  Chrift  is  the  anointed  king  ion  the  holy  hil!  of  Zion. 

Daniel  prophetically  calls  him  "  MelTiah  the  Prince."  In 
the  fecond  Plalm  he  is  called  King.  Gabriel  told  his  Mother 
that  tha  Lord  God  would  give  him  the  throne  of  his  Father 
David.  Chrift  witnefied  this  good  confefTion  before  Pontius 
Pilate,  that  he  was  a  King.  And  He  fuffered  under  this  in- 
fcription,  "Jefus  of  Nazareth,  King  of  the  Jews."  But  every 
one  knows  that  no  perfon  is  born  a  king  from  a  king  plenarily  : 
there  muft  be  an  after  a£lual  inveftiture. 

Under  the  law  a  particular  oil  and  manner  0/ anointing,  were 
prefcribed.  The  pouring  the  oil,  which  might  not  be  imitated 
on  the  defignated  perfon,  by  one  duly  authorized,  was  efteemcid 
an  un6lion,  and  that  unftion  an  inauguration.  The  an- 
cient oil  the  Jews  fuppofe  to  have  been  loft  in  Jofiah's 
time,  and  the  cuftom  of  anointing  in  that  manner  hath  from 
hence  ceafed.  But  Jefus  is  confidered  as  anointed  with  the 
oil  of  gladnefs,  with  the  antitype  of  the  ancient  oil,  even  the 
Holy  Ghoft,  Pf.  xlv.  7.  A£llx.  38.  who  defccndcd  upon 
him  at  his  baptifm.  He  was  anointed  with  regal  power  at  his 
refurreftion.  Then  He  had  on*his  vefture  and  on  his  thigh  a 
name  written,  ''  King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords."  R^v. 
xix.  13.  As  a  king  he  halh  a-creative,  Icgiftative,  judiciary, 
and  executive  power,  Theeffahon  or  a6lion  of  the  fpirit  dc-. 
fcending  upon  him,  fignified  the  divine  election  to  hs  omce, 
and  an  influx  to  fit  him  for  it. 

According  to  ancient  practice  tjajhing  preceded  unclion, 
therefor*  anointing  was  often  performed  near  fomc  fountain. 
Solomon  was    fent  to  Gihon,  and  Jeius  went  to  Joidin   to  b© 


174  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  AS  LORD. 

baptized  and  anointed  by  tlie  defcent  of  the  Spirit  upon  him 
like  a  dove.  Then  he  was  conflltuted  Chrift  in  a6lual  office. 
His  un6lion  denoted  his  dignity,  and  facrednefs  as  the  holy 
one  of  God;  every  way  qualified  for  his  work. 

Since  Jefus  was  made  Chrift  at  his  baptifm,  and  King  at  his 
refurreftionj  it  follows  that  there  was.no  Chrift  before,  only  in 
the  divine  foreordination  which  precludes  aftual  being.  As 
to  I.  Cor.  X.  9.  ''  Neither  let  us  tempt  Chrift,  asfome  of  them 
alfo  tempted,"  it  is  not  him,  Chrift,  but  God  whom  they  fpake 
againft,  even  the  Moft  High.  Numb.  xxi.  5.  6.  Pf.  Ixxviii. 
56,  As  to  Mofes's  efteeming  the  reproach  of  Chrift  greater 
riches  than  the  treafures  of  Egypt,  it  only  proves  him  to  have 
been  a  believer  in  Chrift  to  come,  and  that  the  reproaches  of 
the  godly  then,  are  the  fame  With  the  reproaches  of  chriftians 
now.  Heb.  xi.  26.  The  Spirit  in  the  ancient  prophets,  is 
called  the  Spirit  o/Chrifi,  becaufe  he  predi£led  his  coming,  fuf- 
fen'ng,  and  glory.  I.  Pet.  i.  1  r.  That  any  one  fhould  exift 
officially,  before  he  exifted  perfonally,  is  abfurd.  As  to  his  gld' 
ry,  John  xii.  41.  it  is  not  predicated  of  Chrift,  but  of  him 
whom  Ifaiah  faw,  wbich  was  the  Father,  who  predifted  the 
blinding  and  hardeningof  the  Jews  under  the  Miniftry  of  Chrift 
M'hen  he  ffiould  come.  Ifai.  xi.  1.  That  Chrift  was  the  angel 
of  God's  prefence  ;  or  that  Godever  fpake  by  him  in  times  paft, 
or  that  the  law  was  given  by  him,- are  (uppodtions  without 
proof,  and  againft  proof.  Pleb.  i.  2.  ii.  2.  3.  As  to  his  being 
ciWcd  the  mejenger  of  the  covenant,  Mai.  iii.  1.  it  is  not  as  then 
come,  but  to  come  in  future."  St.  Peter  fully  determines  that 
Chrift  did  not  preexift  the  birth  of  Jefus,  when  he  faith,  "  Let 
all  the  houfe  of  Iftael  know  affuredly,  that  God  hath  made  that 
fame  Jefus,  whom  ye  have  crucified,  both  Lord,  and  Chrift." 
A6ls  ii.  36.      He  could  not  be  made  what  he  was  before. 

jtfus  Chriji  is  the  one  Lord  by  zvhom  are  all  things ^  and 
we  by  Him, 


OF  JESUS  CHRIST  AS  LORD.  i-^ 

Although  Jefus  is    faid  to  be  "  born  Chrift  the  Lord,"  He 
Was  not  then  Chrift  or  Lord  a£lua!iy   and   officially,  but  only 
deftgnedly^  for  he  was  made   both  Lord  and   Chrift  afterwards. 
His  being  the  one  Lord  by   whom  are  all  ihings,  diftinguifties 
him  from  the  one  God,  or  the  one  yehovuh  of  whom  are  aUlhin<^s, 
The  title  of  Lord,  both  in  the  old  teftament  and  new,  hath  rela- 
tion to  dominion  :  and  in  a  civil  law  fenfe  it  denotes  a  fuperior 
proprietor  of  things    and   perfons  ;   Matt.  xx.  8.  and  in    one 
place  it  is  only  a  title   of  civil  refpeft    tranllated  Sir.  John  v, 
7.      In   nobility  learning,  which    treateth  of    titles  of  honor^ 
the  greater  dominant  eftates  of  a  kingdom  are   Lords.   I,  Sam. 
V.  2,      Of  the  Lords  many,  Chrift  is  the  Lord  paramount.      In 
fcripture  the  title   of  Lord   is  applied    to    God  the  Father,  as 
anfwering  to  EI,  Eloah,  Elohim,  Adon,  Jehovah,  Kurios,  Def- 
potes  :   and  as  fome  of  thefe  are  applied  to  Chrift,  feme   have 
wrongly  inferred  him  to  be  the  one  Jehovah,  or  one  wlthhira. 
The  Jews  tell  many  wonders  about  the  incommunicablenefs  t^f 
the    name   Jehovah  :  but  it  is  applied   to    other  perfons,  and 
even  to  Jeruf3lem,as  ths  woman    is  called   after  her  hulband, 
Jerem.  xxxiii.  16. 

It  i»  evident  Chrift  is  prophetically  called  Jehovah  our 
ngbteoufnefs  :  Jerem.  xxiii.  5.  and  fome  think  two  Jehovahs 
are  mentioned  in  another  place.  Zech.  x.  12.  But  to  infer 
from  hence  that  Chrift  is  in  any  (enle  the  fuprema  Jehovah  is 
very  wrong.  Dr.  Whitby  on  I.  Cor.  viii.  6.  argues  thus, 
*'  Thatbecaufe  Chrift's  being  the  one  Lord,  doth  not  exclude 
the  Father  from  being  the  one  Lord,  therefore  the  Father's  being 
the  one  God,  doth  not  exclude  the  Son  from  being  God  alfo.'* 
But  this  is  far  from  being  conclufivc,  becaufe  the  Father  and 
Chrift  are  not  the  one  Lord  in  the  fame  fenfe,  for  the  of  wham 
are  all  things,  will  in  no  fenfe  apply  to  Chrift,  nor  the  l>y  whom- 
Are  all  things,  to  the  Farther.  The  LordOiip  of  Chrift  is  no: 
ncceffary,   original,  fupreme,    and    underivcd,  as  that    of   th.-; 


176  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  AS  LORD. 

Father's  is.  Jehovah  calls  Chriii  Adon  or  Adonai  as  diflin- 
guifhed  from  himlelf  :  Pi.  ex.  1.  and  the  Son  hath  a  God  even 
•when  called  God.  Heb.  1 .  8,9.  The  Lordfhip  of  the  Father  is 
founded  on  the  original,  and  terreftrlal  creation,  but  Chrifl;  is 
a  mediatorial  Lord,  and  his  dominion  is  founded  on  a  creation, 
like  his  kingdom,  not  of  this  zoorld,'*  Jefus  Chrifl  both  died, 
roTe  and  revived,  that  he  might  be  Lord  of  the  dead  and  living." 
The  Father  is  the  only  Lord  God  in  the  fupreme  fenfe,  Jude  4. 
The  dominion  of  Chrift  is  delegated^  but  not  to  a  creature  :  the 
extent  of  it  is  univerfal,  the  Father  alone  excepted,  A£ls,  x.  36, 
I.  Cor.  XV.  27.  His  dominion  is  like  to  Jofeph's  over  Egypt,  an 
eminent  type  of  him.  "  Thou  fhalt  be  over  my  houfe,  and  accord- 
ing to  thy  word  fliall  all  rcy  people  be  ruled,  only  in  the  throne 
will  I  be  greater  than  thou.V  Gen.  xli.  40.  Two  fupremes 
upon  one  throne  is  a  contradiftion  in  terms,  and  two  equals  ici 
authority  is  a  repugnance  to  all  government.  But  to  infer  from 
hence  that  Chrift  is  a  creature  Lord,  would  be  no  better  than 
to  deny  Jofeph's  humanity  of  natuie,  when  Pharaoh  advanced 
him  to  ride  in  the  (econd  chariot. 

In  heaven  this  one  Lord  is  above  all  thrones,  dominions,  prin- 
cipalities, and  powers,  who  are  conftituted  by  him  what  they 
now  are,  and  they  are  commanded  to  worfhip  him.  He  is  ex- 
alted far  aboveall  heavenSj  which  are  the  utmoft  height  of  cres- 
ted nature  :  and  hath  a  name  above  every  name  which  is  that 
of  God,  in  an  aftual  ftate  of  reigning. 

On  earth  his  dominion  is  over  all,  the  heathen  are  his,  and 
all  mankind  are  put  in  fubjeftion  to  him  :  Lord  of  lords.  King 
of  kings.  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  he  is  anointed  above 
his  Jellows,  who  are  anointed  ones. 

Human  dominion  is  acquired  by  ji^wrcA^,  conqueji,  or  volunta- 
ry confent  :  Chrifts  dominion  is  by  an  acquired  right  :  as  oth- 
er Lords  had  ufurped  dominion  over  men,  not  without  their 
confent  :  Chrift  delivered  us  by  conquering  them  who  held  us 


OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR.  17'^ 

infcrvitude  :  and  bought,  or  redeemed  us  by  paying  a  price, 
tiot  to  the  ufurpers,  but  to  God,  by  which  means  he  hath 
acquired  a  right  of  dominion  over  us  and  propriety  in  us.  He 
doth  not  make  us  flaves,  but  treats  us  as  freemen,  and  requires 
our  voluntary  confent  to  become  his  people.  His  dominion 
over  holy  angels  is  not  by  conqutO:  or  purchafe,  but  by  reconcil- 
iation, recapitulation,  recreating  themi  as  thrones,  Sec.  and  con- 
firming them  in  their  prefent  ftanding.  Colof.  i.  20.  Eph. 
i.  10.  Colof.  i.  16.  Heb.  i.  6,  Thus  angels  and  men  have 
one  and  the  fame  Lord,  and  even  deviis  are  fubjeti  to  his 
powerful  dominion. 

This  ftate  of  Chrifh  as  the  one  Lord,  is  imported  by  that 
title,  *'  Thefirfl;  born  of  every  creature  ;"  Colof.  i.  15.  it  hath 
no  relation  to  pafl  time,  being  in  the  prefent  tcnic.  and  e^ipref- 
fes  the  prefent  dignity  of  Jefus  Chrifl,  and  not  of  any  eternal 
Son  born  before  the  creation.  But  more  of  this  in  its  place. 
The  dignitv  and  condition  of  Clirift  as  the  one  Lord,  is  his 
divinity  of  Ji ate f  or  creatdre-tranfcendcn-.y  of  rank  ando^cc  :  and 
fuppofes  his  divinity  of  nature  on  which  it  is  grounded* 
The  prime  duty  of  chriftians  is  to  confefs  him  Lord.  Rom, 
XIV.  7,  8. 

There  Is  a  certain  work  predicated  of  Jefus  Chrid  as  the 
One  Lord,  in  thoib  words,  '*  By  whom  aie  ail  things,  and  we 
by  him." 

The  all  things  here  Intended  ars  only  fpiritual  bleffings  in 
heavenly  places  :  no  other  are  correfpondent  to  the  character 
of  Jefus  Chrift,  nor  is  he  the  author  of  any  other,  but  fuch  as 
are  fpiritual  and  chriflian  in  their  kind  and  quality.  Thefc  are 
the  all  things  God  hath  made  by  Jefus  Chrijl,  the  beginning  of 
the  creation  of  God.  Rev,  iii.  14,  That  the  chriflian  rehgioa 
is  the  conftitution  of  all  things  conftituitively  made,  and  exec- 
utively introduced,  appears  from  its  names  :  the  religion  ox 
jfaving  grace;  the  law  of  grace,  faith,  and  liberty  3  the  Nev/ 
Y 


A  78      OF   CHRIST  THE   LORD   AS  CREATOR. 

Teftament,  covenant,  and  law  ;  the  kingdom  of  God  and  hea- 
ven, not  come  until  our  Savior's  refurreftion  ;  the  world  t9 
come  put  in  fubjedlion  to  Chrifl;  ;  and  from  the  charafter  of 
God  as  the  Savior  and  of  Chtift  the  Prince  and  Savior  ;  from 
the  chriflian  Trinity  who  are  the  perfonal  fovereignty  in  this 
kingdom  ;  from  the  church's  being  called  one  new  man,  con- 
fifting  of  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  the  New  Jerufalem  ;  and 
laftly,  from  chriftians  being  new  creatures  in  or  by  Chrift. 
If  all  this  doth  not  imply  a  new  creation  both  political  and 
real,  then  effetts  may  exift  without  a  produdHve  cauie, 
Thcfe  are  the  all  things  which  are  of  God  as  the  Father,  by 
the  one   Lord  Jefus  Chrift. 

Tlie  prophets  predict  a  new  treation  and  ilate  of  things  to 
come  in  the  days  of  the  MefFiah.  Ifa.  Ixv.  17,  18.  New  heavens 
and  new  earth,  in  prophetic  language,  fignify  a  new  politic 
conftituiion  of  things  :  and  to  create  a  city,  is  to  form  a  body 
puliiic,  by  declaring  its  rights,  and  eftablifhing  its  conftitution. 
An  iiicorporating  aft  is  creative,  ifa.  Ixvi.  22.  Theie  new 
heavens  and  earth  aie  called  worlds,  as  including  the  angelic 
a'.)d  human  fyflems  ;  flcb,  i.  4,  the  fame  with  the  all  things 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  created  ;  Colof.  i.  16.  and  the  fame 
with  the  world  to  come  put  in  fubje6iion  to  Chrift.  Heb.  ii.  5. 
Or  worlds  may  be  tranflated  the  ages,  the  feveral  economies, 
and  difpenfations,  that  have  or  are  to  take  place  before  the  end 
tome.  Could  a  world  come  without  a  creation  of  it  ?  or  new 
heavens  and  new  earth,  or  new  any  thing  without  a  new  crea- 
lu  n  ?  God,  as  the  prime  caufe,  uiakes  all  things  new,  Rev, 
XXI.  5.  And  the  prophecies  relating  to  this  event  point  t© 
the  laji  or  latUr  days,  not  of  the  world,  but  of  the  Jewifh 
polity,  the  world  preceding  the  world  to  come,  Gen.  xlix.  t. 
Num.  xxlv.  14.  Afts  ii.  17.  L  John  ii.  18.  Heb.  i.  2.  which 
extend  no  farther  than  to  the  defl:ru£lion  of  the  Jewifh  ftatc, 
and  worldly  fan6luary.     Tiiere  was  ^  jural  or  conjtituitive  mak- 


^f  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR.  179 
ing  all  things  new,  at  our  Savior's  refurreaion  :  but  old  things 
did  not  wholly  pafs  away,  until  the  call  of  the  Gentiles,  the 
taking  of  Jerufalem,  and  burning  of  the  temple.  Then  fomc 
fuppofe  the  coming  of  the  New  Jerufalem  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  took   place.  Rev.  xxi.  1,2. 

The  ruin  of  the  Jews'  commonwealth,  and  their  worldly 
elements,  is  in  prophetic  language,  fet  fonh  as  if  the  whole 
world  were  come  to  an  end.  Deut.  xxxii.  22,  23.  Jer.  iv. 
'±3.  27.  Matt.  xxiv.  29,  34.  Rev.  vi.  12,  13.  Thefe  great 
events  were  reprefented  by  the  earthquake  when  Chrift  arofe, 
even  the  removal  of  things  fhaken,  to  make  way  for  the  things 
that  could  not  be  Ihaken.    Hag.  ii.  6.  comp.  Heb.  xii.  27. 

The  creation  by  Chrift  is  both  political  and  real,  changing 
the  nature  zndjlate  of  things,  which  is  the  proper  notion  of  a 
fcripture  creation.  Then  a  new  divine  fettlement  of  things 
was  made.      Peace  was  created. 

The  kingdom,  of  God  of  original,  became  mediatorial,  by   a 
»ew  conftitution  and   law,    a  new    declaration   of   rights    and 
dues,  a  new   fovereignty,    the  chriftian  trinity,  new  creatures 
and  fubjeas.     Creating  and  building  are  fynonymous,  the  build- 
ing a    houfe,    is    not  the  making  the  materials   out  of  nothing, 
but  the  framing,  ordering  and  putting  them   together.      God's 
church  IS  his  houfe,  temple,  building,  m.ade  by  Chrift  as  a  Son 
over  his  own  houfe.   I.  Cor.  iii.  9.   Heb.  iii.  6.  Zech.  xi.  1:?. 
This  is  the   city  the  patriarchs  looked  for  as  to  come,  and  is 
now  come,  whofe  builder  and  maker  is  God  by  Jefus  Chrifi. 
There  is  a  fettlement  by  creation  of  rights  and  dues,  on  which 
politic  focieties  are  founded,  and  v/hereby  they  are  compaaed 
and  held  together.     God  became  a  creator  of  lirael  as  a  people, 
when  he  redeemed  and  eftablifhed  them,  as  he  had  before  created 
them  as  men,  which  is  a  foundation  for  his  plural  name  creators, 
Eccl.  xii.  1.  original,   if  that  is  not  purely  idiom3tical.      And 
in  like  manner  he  made  us  men,  and  creates  us  new  creatures 


2 go       OiF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR, 

by  Chiift.  Thefe  are  the  things  which  are  of  the  one  God  th^^ 
Father,  by  the  one  Lord  Jefus  Chri  ft  ;  He  as  a  Son,  Mediator^ 
Redeemer,  Savior,  the  appointed  Heir  of  all  things,  is  the 
creator,    which  determines  the  kind  of  his  creation. 

The  Lord  God,  the  Father  of  the  holy  child  Jefus,  whom  he 
hath  anointed,  is  the  creator  of  the  material  fyftem,  heaven  and 
carfh,  the  fea,  and  all  th?t  in  them  is.  A£ls  i\\  24,  27.  If  the 
reader  runs  over  the  feveral  places  in  the  New  Teftament 
which  fpeak  of  ihe  creation  of  Jelus  Chrift,  he  will  perceive 
what  the  all  things  are  by  him.  *'By  the  Word  which  was  God 
were  all  things  m.ide  ;  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing 
made  that  was  made."  This  Word  which  was  God,  St.  John 
faith  was  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  and  the  only  begotten 
is  Jefus  Chrift,  and  no  other.  John  i,  3,  14,  17.  The  charafler 
of  John  as  an  evangelical  hift^rian,  the  epoch  of  his  hiftory 
as  explained,  by  himfelf  and  others,  and  the  fubjeft  of  whom 
he  predicates  thefe  things,  no  eternal  Logos,  or  Son,  which 
never  did  exift  but  in  a  fcholaftic's  mind  fpoiled  through  phi- 
iofophy  :  all  determine  the  creation  to  be  of  fpiritual  and 
heavenly,  and  not  of  material,  and  terreftrial  things.  And 
left  any  fhould  underftand  thefe  all  things  to  be  of  this  world  : 
he  faith  "  He  Vv'as  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by 
him,  and  the  world  knew  hira  not.'*  How  he  was  in  the 
world,  Chrift  repeated!y  tells  us,  and  what  v^orld  it  was,  and 
when  he  came  into  it,  even  in  his  miniftry.  John  xvi.  28.  And 
as  to  ihe  \yorld  made  by  him,  it  could  not  be  the  material 
world  he  came  into,  or  was  in,  becaufe  he  made  one  world 
after  he  was  in  another.  The  world  He  made  therefore  muft 
be  that,  zvorld  which  God  fo  loved  as  to  give  his  Son  to  be  a 
propitiation  for  its  fins,  and  wlych  zcorld  God  is  reconciling 
to  himielf  in  Chrift.  The  tvorld  thai  knew  him  not,  is  the 
unbelieving  world  lying  in  wickednefs  :  for  He  even  came  te 
his  o:uj7!j  and  they  received  him  not»     If  he  created  this  world^ 


OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR.   ,8i 

we  read  of  no  faint  or  angel  in  fcripture  that  ever  knew  it  or 
worftiipped  him  for  it  :  a  htl  fo  flrange  and  yet  true,  that 
fcholaftics  know  not  how  to  account  for  it.  The  angelic,  but 
efpecially,  the  zuhole  human  world,  receive  benefit  from  Chrift 
as  he  hath  confiimed  the  former,  and  is  the  propitiation  for  the 
fins  of  the  latter,  and  is  a  new  creator,  as  reconciler  and  re- 
deemer. The  above  expofition  will  appear  the  plainer  if  one 
error  John  wrote  to  oppofe  is  confidered,  viz.  the  denial  of 
the  coming  of  Jelus  Chnfl  in  flsfh,  I.  John  iv.  2.  and  II. 
John  7.  This  error  was  not  that  Jelus  was  born  of  the  virgin, 
but  that  at,  or  before  his  being  made  Chrift,  at  his  baptifm,  he 
was  made  flefli,  came  in  flefh,  and  was  God  manifeft  in  ilefh, 
St.  John  therefore  begins  with  afErming  that  the  perfon  then 
well  known  by  the  name  of  the  Word,  to  be  the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father,  who  was  Jefus  Chrift,  had  a  real  exiftence  with 
God,  in  the  beginning  of  the  gofpelepoch,  and  was  God.  Here 
he  fubjoins  an  eulogy  of  him,  and  fpeaks  of  his  work  which 
would  better  come  in,  in  this  place,  than  afterwards  to  the  in- 
terruption of  his  narration.  Read  what  follows  relative  to  his 
creation,  his  being  the  life,  and  light  of  men,  his  coming  to  his 
own,  and  their  receiving  him  not,  and  believers  receiving 
him,  &c.  in  a  parenthefis,  and  all  will  be  eafy.  Thus  in  the 
beginning  of  the  gofpel  sera,  the  Word  was,  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  This  I  repeat  for  the 
greater  confirmation,  The  fame  was  in  the  beginning  with  God, 
In  this  time  there  was  a  man  fent  from  God,  v^^hofe  name  was 
John,  to  bear  witnefs  of  the  light,  the  IVord,  fo  called,  becaufe 
of  the  light  he  is  in  himfelf  and  religion  to  men,  as  he  is  called 
the  Word  becaufe  of  his  declaring  the  Father,  and  having  the 
words  of  eternal  life.  The  above  Word  was  made  or  became 
flefh,  and  dwelt  or  tabernacled  among  us,  apojlks,  full  of  grace 
and  truth.  And  zve  beheld  his  glory,  as  the  glory  of  the  only 
hgottcn  of   the  Father.     As  the  above  perfon  whom  I  hava 


iSs      OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR. 

called  the  Word,  God,  Life,  Light,  really  and  truly  was : 
end  of  his  fulnefs  of  grace  and  truth,  we  have  all  received, 
and  grace  for  grace  :  for  the  law  was  given  by  Mofes,  but  grace 
and  truth  came  by  Jefus  Chrift,  the  perfon  I  have  been  writing 
of,  under  the  above  metaphors.  No  man  hath  feen  God  at 
anytime:  (He  that  is  of  God  hatli  feen  the  Father,  and  is 
therefore  an  exception)  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  was  in 
the  bo'om  of  the  Father  (of  his  bofom  council)  hath  declared 
him. 

The  words  of  St.  Paul  will  confirm  the  above  idea  of  Chrifl's 
creation.  He  was  fent  to  "  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the 
unlearchable  riches  of  Chrift  :  and  to  make  all  men  fee,  v^'hat 
is  the  fellowfiiip  of  the  rayftery,  which  from  the  beginning  of 
the  world  hath  been  hid  in  God,  who  created  all  things  by  Jefus 
Chrijl."  Eph.  iii.  8,  9.  God  created  all  things  by  Jefus 
Chriji,  not  by  any  eternal  Son,  or  Logos,  and  the  all  things 
created  relate  to  the  myftcry  which  had  been  hid  in  God  frorn 
the  beginning  of  the  world  ;  therefore  it  muft  be  an  evangelical 
creation,  and  the  all  things  muft  be  of  the  chriftian  kivd^  not 
material,  terreftrial,  animal  or  natural,  huXfpiritual  and  heavenly. 

In  Colof.  i.  15,  16,  17,  there  is  a  large  account  of  the  dig- 
nity of  Chrift  in  his  now  exa!ted  ftate,  "  As  the  image  of  the 
invifible  God,  the  lirft  born  of  every  creature,'*  He  gives  this 
reafon,  '*  For  by  him  were  all  things  created,  that*  are  in  heav- 
en, and  that  are  in  earth,  vifible  and  invifible,  whether  they 
be  th.ones,  dominions,  principalities,  or  powers  ;  all  things 
were  created  by  him,  and  for  him  ;  and  he  is  before  all 
things,  nnd  by  him  ail  things  confifl.  J\m\  he  is  the  head  of 
the  body  the  churcli,  who  is  the  beginning,  the  firft  born 
from  the  dead,  that  in  all  things  he  might  have  the  prceny^n- 
ence."  All  this  is  predided  of  Jefus  Chrift  and  not  of  any 
etcinal  Son  or  Logos,  even  "  Him  in  whom  we  have  ledemp* 
tion  through  his  blood,  the   forgivenefs  of  fins.*'     The  whok 


OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOl^:        i3,;j 

js  in  the  prefent,  not  pad  time,  who  is  the  image  ;  the  firfr 
born  :  who  is,  not  who  was,  before  all  things,  &c.  Prototok^s 
Fcndered,  firft  born,  hath  no  relation  to  priority  in  tiaie,  but  is 
only  exprefTive  of  prefent  dignity.  In  fcriptiire  language  the 
fiift  born  is  the  Heir  and  Lord.  So  it  h^nifiss  among  other 
nations  befides  the  Jews.  The  firO:  born  of  every  creature  is 
the  fime  with  the  Lord  of  all,  or  the  Heir  of  all  things,  to  which 
Chrifl  was  appointed  in  his  exaltation  flate.  A£ls  x.  36* 
Heb.  i.  1.  When  God  faid  to  David,"  a  type  of  Chrift, 
*'  I  will  make  him  firft  born,"  it  is  thus  explained,  "  Higher 
than  the  kings  of  the  earth."  This  was  true  of  David  when 
he  conquered  the  neighboring  kings,  Pf.  Ixxxix.  27.  II. 
Sam.  viii.  6,  12.  and  xi,  19.  All  of  them  might  be  older 
men,  and  older  kings  than  he,  and  yet  he  be  firfl;  born,  becauift 
higher  than  they  :  and  of  Chrift  when  he  was  exalted  to  the 
throne  of  God.  The  confequent  reafon  given  proves  this  to 
be  the  fenfe.  ''  For  by  him  were  all  things  created,"  &c. 
The  creator  muil  be  higher  than  the  created.  Thefe  all  things 
are  the  fame  that  are  reconciled,  and  gathered  together  in  one, 
Colof.  i.  20.  Eph.  i.  10.  Dr.  Whitby  faith  'Spiritual  things 
are  not  intended,  becaufe  things  vilible  and  on  earth  are  not 
capable  of  a  moral  creation  v  he  fuppofes  the  things  made  and 
feen  in  the  Mofaic  creation  arc  the  tame  with  thefe  vifible 
things  of  Chnfl's  creation,  which  comprifeth  all  things  with- 
out life,  as  metals,  ftones,  vegetables,  beafts  and  trees."  If 
Jefus  Chrift  is  creator  of  thefe^  they  are  fpecincally  fpiritual, 
holy,  and  heavenly,  as  all  his  produ6ls  are.  There  are  vihble 
things  of  Chrift's  creation,  both  politically  and  really  confid- 
ertd.  The  kingdom  of  God  among  men,  the  New  Teftament 
covenant  and  law,  new  inftitutions  and  ordinances,  ne^w  facra- 
ments,  a  new  day,  new  paftors,  a  new  man  the  church,  and 
new  creatures,  are  vifibles,  and  not  "  raetals,  ftones,  beads, 
vegetable,  and  trees." 


i84       OF  CHRIST  THE  LdRD  AS  CREATOR^ 

The  invifibks  zxQ  in  heaven  as  thrones,  &c.  Thefe  Dr, 
Whitby  iuppoles,  againft  Giotius,  to  be  incapable  of  reno- 
vation, or  a  new  creation  by  Chrift,  But  it  is  only  a  theo- 
political  creation  that  is  here  afferted,  and  not  any  creation  of 
the  angels  as  Spirits,  or  beings,  phyfically  confidered.  It  is 
only  a  conftitution  of  offices  and  officers  among  angels,  by 
Qhrift  the  Head  of  ail  principalities  and  powers,  giving  them 
their  grades,  ranks  and  (landing  under  him,  which  if  they  btfore 
fuilained  under  the  one  God,  was  a  new  creation  of  God  by 
him.  And  luch  as  is  often  feen  in  human  kingdoms,  upon 
the  alteration  of  the  conftitution,  or  the  acceflion  of  a  new 
Prmce.  When  the  firft  begotten  was  brought  again  at  his 
refurredlion,  into  the  world,  God  laid  ""  Let  all  the  an^^els  of 
God  wordiip  him,"  and  upon  their  compliance  they  were 
created  by  Chnft  their  Lord,  as  thrones,  &c.  Thefe  things 
were  created  hy  him  znAjor  him  for  his  ufe  and  fervice,  as  their 
proprietor  and  poff,;ffor.  And  to  exprefs  his  primacy  and 
preeminence,  it  is  faid,  "  He  is,"  not  he  was,  btjort  all  things  ; 
that  is  all  thefe  things.  And  by  him  all  things  confiji.  As  they 
are  all  given  into  his  hands  of  the  Father,  he  is  the  preferver 
and  upholder  Heb.  i.  3.  of  them  in  their  prefent  ftate,  '*He 
was  foreordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  :  the 
world  and  all  things  were  created  to  bring  that  foreordination 
to  pafs :  and  when  he  was  made  Lord,  and  Chrift,  it  might  be 
truly  faid  of  him,  He  is  before  all  things,  in  the  order  and  fuc- 
ceffion  of  things."  Since  fome  with  Dr.  Whitby  are  fond  of 
orthodox  Fathers,  the  reader  may  fee  their  thoughts  upon  this 
fubjeft,  not  as  authorities,  for  they  are  none,  any  more  than  the 
reputed  heterodox.  The  following  quotations  will  fliew  that 
thefe  authors  underftood  the  chriftian  theory,  much  better  than 
modern  fcholaftics  and  metaphyficians,  fpoilt  by  philolophy^ 
TertuUian  faith,  "  Touching  the  MefTiah  it  is  in  the  firft  place 
to  be  enquired  whether  we  are  not  to  exped  the   inftitutor  of 


OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR.   i3^ 

anew  law,  and  a  new  teftament,  of  new  facrifices,  oF  new  cir- 
cumcifion,  a  new  fabbath  (the  Lord's  day  which  he  hath  crea- 
tively made)  one  who  abrogateth  the  old  law,  abolifheth  rhs 
old  ceremonies,  circuracifion,  and  Sabbath."  Cyprian  thus 
writes,  "  From  the  tefiiimonies  oi  fcripture  it  appears,  that  by 
Chrift  we  are  to  e\'pct>,  new  circumcifion,  a  new  teflament, 
new  law,  new  yokes,  new  paftors,  new  facriHces,  a  new  prieft-' 
hood  and  people."  Chryfoftom  faith,  '•  In  chriftianity  we 
have  all  things  new,  a  new  Jerufalem,  a  new  fpiritual  temple, 
a  new  houfe  whofe  maker  is  God,  a  houfenot  made  with  hands." 
Can  all  thefe  things  be  eff;;cled  without  a  new  creation  ? 
Are  not  all  thcfe  by  Chrid  ?  Thefe  things  are  vifiblc,  and 
yet  are  not  *•*  metals,  flones,  vegetables,  beads  or  trees,"  v/hich 
cannot  be  chrifLianized, 

God  who  fpake  in  times  pad  to  the  fathers  by  Vne  prophets/ 
made  the  worlds  by  that  Son  by  v.;hom  he  hath  fpoken  to  us  in 
thefe  laid  times.  Hcb.  i.  i.  Thi^  Son  is  defcribed  as  being 
the  appointed  Heir,  (Lord)  of  all  things,  as  the  brightneis  of 
his  glory,  and  the  exprefs  image  of  his  perfon,  and  as  uphold- 
ing all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power,  who  when  h»  had  by 
himfelf  purged  our  fins,  fat  down  on  the  riglit  band  of  the  ma- 
jefty  oh  high« 

Here  is  an  implied  neg.Ttion  of  God's  having  fpokch  by  h.\S 
Son  in  times  pad,  or  until  the  lad  times  of  the  Jewifh  flate. 
The  appointment  of  his  Son  to  be  Heir  or  Lord  cf  all  things/ 
iliews  it  to  be  an  ofHcial  not  an  hereditary  dignity,  confc- 
quential  to  his  having  purged  our  fino.  The  creatiori  of  the 
worlds  or  a^es,  is  by  the  fame  perfon  ?nd  not  any  eternal  Logos 
Or  S^n.  That  the  prime  agent  herein  is  God  the  majedy  on 
high.  The  worlds  or  ages  is  plural  to  include  angels  and  men, 
or  all  economic!?  which  are  completed  in  or  by  Chrid.  That 
the  material  fydera  is  not  included  is  evident  from  the  v/hols 
context,  and  the  manifed  defign  of  the   Apoftie,  whick  is   t« 


i86      OF   CHRIST  THE   LORD   AS   CREATOR. 

prove  the  Son's  fuperiority  to  angeis,  as  the  appointed  Heir  of 
all  things,  who  was  made  better  than  the  angels,  as  he  hath  by- 
inheritance  obtained  a  more  excellent  name  than  they.  For 
unto  which  of  the  angels  ftid  he  at  any  time.  Thou  art  my  Son, 
this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.  This  was  at  his  refurreftion 
when  all  the  angels  of  God  are  ordered  to  worfhip  him,  when 
God  made  the  woilds  by  him,  and  not  at  the  birth  of  Jefus,  for 
then  he  was  only  conftituted  the  Son  of  God  by  naturCy  but 
not  with  power.  There  is  not  thcleaft  intimation  that  the  cre- 
ation of  thefe  worlds  was  performed  by  any  Son  of  God  fup- 
pofed  to  have  exifted  prior  to  the  birth  of  Jefus,  and  who  then 
condefcended  to  be  born  and  took  Jefus  to  himfelf,  and  there- 
fore this  prior  acl  is  predicated  of  the  whole  perfon  as  it  now 
is,  by  a  communion  or  communication  of  properties.  Neither 
nature  of  Jefus  is  any  feparaate  agent,  and  there  could  be  no  com- 
munion orcommunicationof  properties  prior  to  the  union  of  the 
natures  to  which  thefe  properties  belong.  And  if  this  fon  had  been 
the  eternol  creator  of  angels,  they  muft  have  known  it,  and  muft 
always  have  worfliipped  hira  for  it,  and  needed  no  command  for 
it  now.  Nor  would  there  have  been  any  need  of  labored  proof 
of  his  fuperiority  to  them.  The  Son  no  doubt  is  the  maker  of  the 
things,  and  worlds  of  which  he  is  the  appointed  Heir  :  and 
thcfe  are  all  included  in  the  zocrld  to  come  put  in  fubjeBion  to 
him.  As  his  kingdom,  fo  his  creation  is  not  of  this  world  : 
and  for  this  creation  only  is  he  worQiipped.  The  lo,  ii,  12, 
verfes  of  the  fii  ft  chapter  of  Hebrews  have  been  applied  to  the 
Son,  "  And  thou.  Lord,  in  the  beginning  hath  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  earth,"  &c.  But  the  unprejudiced  and  attentive 
reader  will  fee  this  to  be  a  miftake  which  great  and  good  men 
have  fdllen  into,  if  the,  following  thin^^s  arc  confidcred  : — Firft, 
the  palfage  is  quoted  from  Pfalms  cii.  25,  26,  27,  where  the 
words  evidently  belong  to  God  the  Father,  nor  would  any 
unbiaffed  reader  of  that   Plalm  ever  think  to   underfland  them 


OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR.        1S7 

of  any  other  but  "  the  one  God  the  Father,  Almighty,  maker, 
of  heaven  and  earth.**      And  the  one  God  the  Father,  is  not 
the  holy  child  Jefus,  whom  he  hath  anointed.   A6ts  iv.  24,  2'^. 
Secondly,  the   making   the  worlds  in   the  fccond  verle  is  nut 
the  fame  with  laying   the  foundation  of  the  earth,  &c.  in  the 
tenth  verfe,    nor   performed  alike.      God  Ify  the   Son  made  the 
worlds  :  but  He  layeth  the  foundations  of  the  earth  alone  :   fo 
that  the  laying  the  foundation  of  the  earth  cannot  be  attributed 
to  the   Son,  becaufe  he  is  not  the  prime  agent  in  any  creauoo. 
Thirdly,  it  is  plain  that  the  "Thou  art  Lord,"   in  verfe  10th, 
is  the  God  who  fpake  by  the  Son,  who  appointed  him  Heir  of 
all  things,  who  made  the  worlds  by  him,  who  laid  to  the  only 
begotten  thou  art  my  Son,  who  brought  him    into  the    world 
again,  and  faid,  let  all  the  angels  of    God    worflHp    hira,    who 
faid  unto  the  Son,  thy  throne  O  God  is    forever,  the  God  that 
anointed  him   with  the  oil  of  gladneKs — Thou   Lord   who  faid 
and  did  all  tbefe  things  hath  laid  the  foundation  of    the  e^rth  ; 
therefore  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  quotations  from  fcripture 
may  be  relied  upon  :  the  change  of  the  perion  from  He  to  Thoi^ 
is  becaufe  it  flood  lb  in    the  original    text    from    whence  it  is 
taken.      It  may  be  added  fourthly,  that  if  the  Son    had  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  earth,  and  the  heavens  had  been  the  work  of 
his  hands,  the  apoftle   took  a  deal    of  needlefs  pains    to  prove 
his    fuperiority    to   angels.      The   worlds  therefore  had  a  new 
creator    in  Chrift,   and  a    new    obje6l    of    worlhip  upon  that 
account,    and  even  the   Father  became  a  kind   of  new  deity  to 
angels  and  men,  as  revealing  himfelf  under  a  new  character,  and 
fuftaining  new  relations  in  and  by  Chrift,  unto  us. 

Another  text  afcribes  creation  to  Chrift,  *'  Write  theie 
things,  faith  -He,  who  is  the  faithful  and  true  witnefs.  the 
heginning  (arche)  0/  the  creation  of  God."  The  ^'' creation  of 
God,"  expreffeth  the  fpecific  nature,  kind,  and  quality  of  this 
creation,  that  it  is  fpiritual,  holv,   and  d'vine.  and  not  the  j/r-v 


:l6S   of  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR, 

Gufllon  of  what  is  terreflrial  an  J  animal  :  as  the  phrafe,  the 
kingdom  of  God,  imports  it  to  be  a  divine  heavenly  kingdom. 
And  fince  ihe  faithful  and  true  zcitnefs  is  the  beginnings  head,  or 
author  Of  it  under  God^  it  mud  be  new  and  mediatorial.  Wherein 
it  particularly  confiRs  will  be  fiiewn  hereafter,  chap,  xiii. 

There  are  two  reafons  in  ipeclal  which  caufed  fcholaftics 
to  be  fo  zealous  in  their  attempts  to  prove  that  the  Son  was 
,the  creator  of  the  iTiatcriil  lyflem  :  The  one  is  that  they  fup> 
■Doie  this  creation  to  be  the  produ6lion  of  all  things  out  of  no- 
thing :  the  other  is,  that  they  think  his  elTential  divinity  can- 
not be  fupported  without  he  was  the  creator  of  all  material 
things.  The  Erft  of  thefe  is  a  mifl:ake,  and  the  latter  will  fall 
to  the  ground,  when  that  is  reclined,  There  is  no  word  in 
nny  known  language,  v/hich  irt  its  true  notation,  fignifiesthe 
produflion  of  any  thing  out  of  nothing.  The  word  for  create 
in  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin  and  Englilh,  fignifies  no  more  than 
the  change  of  the  fiate  or  nature  of  a  thing  or  being,  or  both, 
•js  is  done  in  material,  or  political  building,  either  a  houfe, 
temple,  or  city,  or  new  creatures  of  fuch  as  were  old,  or  fub- 
jctts  of  fuch  as  were  before  aliens,  ftrangers,  and  foreigners. 

That  their  fear,  left  the  effential  divinity  of  the  Son,  cannot 
be  fupported,  unlefs  he  is  held  to  be  the  creator  of  all  material 
thi'igs,  and  of  them  out  of  nothing,  is  entirely  gvouiidlefs,  the 
following  things  will  (hew. 

1.  lirji.  That  creation  in  no  fenfe  is  evidential  of  mere  divin- 
ity of  nature.  For  nature  is  no  agentof  itfelf  but  the  property 
of  one.  Angels  and  faints  are  made  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature,  and  yet  fuch  participation  gives  them  no  power  of  crea- 
tion. But  if  the  power  of  creation  was  annexed  to  divinity 
of  nature,  all  would  be  vefled  with  a  creative  power  in  pro- 
portion to  the  degrees  and  meafures  of  their  pofieffing  divinity 
of  nature.  When  men  talk  of  the  human,  or  divine  natures' 
doing  this  or  that,  ihcy  know  not  whereof  they  sSrm, 


OF  CHRIST  THE  LORD  AS  CREATOR.        189 

2.  Secondly,  Every  creator  muft  be  a  perfonal  Ageui  asid  in 
ftate  God.  A  property,  accident,  or  denomination,  cannot  aft 
feparate  from  its  fubjeft  :  and  every  creator  mufl  be  in  Jiate 
God.  Even  human  politic  creations  are  the  produ6ls  of  thofe 
who  are  injiate,  gods.  I.  Pet.  ii.  13,  14.  To  be  a  creator  and 
a  creature  in  the  fame  refpefl:  is  a  contradiction.  None  but 
the  one  God  hath  the  power  of  creation  neceffarily,  originally, 
and  underivedly,  and  if  he  communicate  a  creative  power  to 
any  one,  fo  far  as  that  islraparted,  he  makes  him  in  ftate  a  god, 
and  Son  of  the  raoll  High,  confidered  as  the  Mofl  High.  Pi. 
Ixxxii.  6. 

3.  Thirdly*  When  a  Being  is  in  ftate  God,  and  veiled  with 
the  power  of  creation,  and  the  produ6i  of  that  creative  power 
is  fpiritual,  holy  and  divine  in  its  nature,  that  being  mufl  be 
divine  by  nature  as  well  as  jflate.  None  by  nature  a  creature,  can 
create  what  is  holy  and  divine.  The  production  of  material, 
terreftrial,  and  animal  things,  only  proves  divinity  of  power. 
Tbele  things  iffue  from  a  parental  providence,  but  not  from 
paternal  fanftity.  The  chriftian  creation  is  fpecifically  divine, 
the  creation  of  God,  and  therefore  the  prime  efiicient,  and  the 
mediate  author,  arc  both  by  nature  God, 

4.  Fourthly,  No  being  is  worfhipped  for  mere  divinity  oj 
nature,but  for  divinity  of  flate  added  thereunto.  They  who 
are  gods  only  in  ftate  as  rulers,  have  only  a  right  to  civil  wor- 
fhip.  Angels  and  faints,  though  partakers  of  the  divine  naturej 
have  no  right  to  any  vvoiftup  at  all,  becaufc  ihey  aie  not  divine 
by  ftate  alfo..  The  Sun  of  God,  as  Jefus,  chimed  not  diiect 
worfhip,  but  when  he  became  Chrift,  and  cfpccially  when  he 
was  exalted  to  his  Father's  throne,  being  God  by  nature  and 
ftate  both,  he  hath  an  undoubted  right  to  divine  honor  and 
worfhip.  And  hnce  he  is  worlhippcd  -s  the  enthroned  hir.l) 
that  ^zsjlain  and  becaufe  he  vvas  (lain  ;  Rev.  i.  5,  G.  a?;d  v.  0, 
This  proves  his  creation  not  to  be  old  bat  72fw  and  cuniplici:::d 
wixh,  redemption, 


X90  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

Wc  as  chriflians  or  men  creatures  are  by  the  one  Lord  Jefus 
Chrift. 

That  we  are  not  by  him  as  men  is  evident,  becaufe  what  is 
natural  and  not  fpiritual  is  oppofite  to  his  chara£l;er  as  fpiritual, 
and  a  quickening  fpirit.  L  Cor.  xv.  45,  46.  "  The  man  is  the 
head  of  the  woman,  but  the  head  of  every  (chriftian)  man  is 
Chrift,  and  the  head  of  Chrift  is  God."  ««  Ye  are  Chrift's  and 
ChriO:  is  God's."  We  arc  God*s  new  creation  kind  of  work- 
manfiiip,  created  in  Chrift  Jefus  unto  good  works.  The  idea 
of  the  Sonof  God  is  nowconpleted,  excepting  his  mediator- 
fhip,  the  confideration  of  which  is  left  until  wc  come  to  treat 
of  the  new  tefhament  or  covenant  of  which  he  is  mediator. 
Hence  it  appears  tiiat  the  fcripture  Son  of  God,  Jefus  Chrift, 
wliom  the  only  true  God  hath  fent,  the  fecond  perfon  of  the 
chriftian  Trinity,  is  totally  different,  from  the  fcholaftic  Logos, 
or  that  eternal  Son  whom  they  have  imagined  to  thcmfelves. 

A  fyftem  of  religion  that  neither  teacheth  the  knowledge  of 
the  only  true  God,  nor  of  Jefus  Chrift,  though  it  arrogate  to 
itfelf  thename  of  orthodoxy,  demands  no  credit.  And  whether 
what  hath  been  written  above  is  of  better  charafler,  is  fubmitted 
to  the  examination  of  all  lovers  of  the  truth  ;  and  direftion  and 
fuccefs  are  wiflied  them  in  their  impartial  en<juiries  and  confe- 
quent  judgment. 

« 

CHAP.  vni. 

OF     THE     HOLY     GHOST. 

DJ  the  Holy  Gho/i  :  his  perfonality^  divinity ^  and  offici  :  a  pecu-. 
liar  kind  of  perfon  :  the  worfJiip  due  to  him  according  to  his 
idea  and  work, 

THE  term  Spirit  or  Ghoft  is  confefledly  of  various  fignifi- 

caMon   in  fcripture  :   yet  there    is  an  account    of  ojie  fingul&r 

fomezvhat^  called  the  Holy  Ghoft  or  Spirit,  very   different  from 


OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST.  191 

any  other  being  or  thing  cnlled  Spirit.  Jews,  Mahometans, 
an«i  all  denominations  of  chriflians  agree  in  this,  how  divcrli- 
fied  Toever  they  mav  be  in  their  apprehenfions  eoncsrning 
what  is  intended  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  That  the  holy  fpirit 
is  fometimes  to  be  taken  imperfonally  for  the  virtue^  injiucntial 
power  of  God.  or  fruits  of  that  power,  is  readily  granted  :  but 
that  the  Holy  Ghofl  is  not  alio  fometimes  taken  per:onilly  is 
denied. 

1.  That  the  Holy  Ghoft  is  a  perfonal  being  or  agent,  there  is 
(ufficlent  proof  to  fatisfy  the  unprejudiced. 

The  very  word  Spirit  denotes  both  his  Perfon  and  Nature, 
the  additions  of  holy,  good,  fpirit  of  God,  of  Chvifl,  of  grace 
and  truth,  denote  his  properties,  relations,  operations  and 
works.  He  is  the  Spirit  of  God  from  his  eternal  relation  to 
the  Father,  and  of  Chrift,  as  officially  applying  to  his  work 
of  redemption,  and  of  holinefs,  as  being  vital  ian£lity  in  himreif 
and  to  us.  A  perfon  is  a  diftinft  intelledualift,  having  the 
individual  fabftance  proper  to  fuch  an  agent.  Now  the  Holy 
Ghoft  hath  perional  properties,  afts,  attributes,  and  adjun^is 
afcribed  to  him.  This  way  we  know  the  Father  and  the  Sou 
to  be  perfons,  and  for  aught  appears,  their  perfonality  may  he 
denied,  as  well  as  the  perfonality  of  the  Holy  Ghoft.  If  the 
Spirit  was  only  a  virtue,  it  muft  be  aEiuated,  and  not  aEl,  and 
when  not  acluated  would  ceafe  lobe  ;  bui  the  holy  fpiiit 
always  is.  In  the  form  of  baptilm  he  is  joined  with  two  per- 
fons, as  having  a  name,  which  is  improper  to  a  mere  energy. 

The  fpirit  hath  an  underftanding  and  will,  Icarc'ieih  even 
the  deep  things  of  God  :  I.  Cor.  ii.  10.  11.  He  only  know- 
eth  the  things  of  God,  as  the  fpirit  of  a  man  which  is  in  htm, 
knoweth  the  things  of  a  man.  The  (pirit  is  faid  iocorji:,  d-'pirt, 
hear  witnefs^  make  inter cejfion,  Slc,  which  are  perfonal  acls.'Acb 
X.  19,  and  xiii,  2.  Chrift  calls  him  another  com/ortsr,  which 
with  his  appearances  in  a  vifible  form  are  incompatible  l<u 
a  virtue,  and  evidence  him  to  be  a  perfonal  agent. 


192  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

2.  He  Is  an  uncreated  and  divine  perfon. 

What  hath  an  eflential  eternal  relation  to  God,  cannot  ht 
created,  and  we  read  of  no  manner  of  caufation  by  which  hfi 
is  produced.  If  he  was  a  creature,  lying  to,  and  blafpheming 
of  him  would  not  be  To  heinous  fins,  nor  would  his  inhabitation 
make  us  the  temple  of  God.  Matt.  xii.  3.  I.  Cor.  vi.  19.  His 
being  called  holy,  the  fpirit  of  grace,  and  his  works  of  infpi- 
ration,  ana  prophecy,  argue  his  divinity.  And  thefe  perfonal 
a6ls  diflinguifh  him  from  the  Father,  and  the  Son.  What  is 
related  to  another  cannot  be  that  other.  He  is  exprefsly  called 
the  eternal  fpirit.  Heb.  ix.  14.  By  office  He  is  the  third  per- 
fon in  the  chriftian  trinity,  which  is  the  triune  adminiftration 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  under  its  prefent  conftitution. 

3.  He  is  a  person  fui  generis  of  a  peculiar  kind. 

The  Father  is  imperial,  ftands  in  a  politic  relation  to  others^ 
haih  the  titles  of  King,  Lord  and  God,  with  the  kingdom^ 
power,  glory,  dominion,  creation,  prefervation,  &c.  afcribed  to 
him  in  fcripture.  He  is  reprelcnted  as  feated  on  a  throne,  in 
a  reigning  condition,  as  being  a  Lav/giver,  and  a  Judge.  And 
the  fame  things  are  true  of  the  Son  in  his  exaltation  (late  to  the 
glory  of  the  Father.  But  the  perfon  of  the  Holy  Ghoft, 
though  equally  divine  by  nature,  ftands  in  no  filial  or  fraternal 
relation  to  God,  or  Chrift,  or  paternal  to  faints  :  though  he 
is  one  v/ith  the  Father  and  the  Son  in  the  divine  iovereignty« 
yet  he  fuflairs  no  politic  charafter,  nor  is  the  kingdom,  power, 
and  glory,  ever  afcribed  to  him  ;  chriftians  are  not  his  creatures, 
children,  fubjccls,  people,  confidering  of  him  perfonally. 
Prayers  are  not  direclcd  to  him  as  our  God,  Creator,  Redeemer 
or  Savior.  In  no  vifion  do  we  find  him  on  a  throne,  nor  is 
he  numbered  with  the  politic  perfons  in  the  city  of  God. 
Heb.  xii,  22,  23.  All  thefe  things  confidered  prove  him  to 
be  a  peculiar  kind  of  perfon.  Our  definitive  idea  of  him  is 
that  of  an  eternal,  undivided  ejfintiality  of  the  one  God  the  Father, 
the  fountain  of  divinity  :  and  ojicially  the  infpiration  agent  in  th<; 


OF  tHE  HOLY  GHOST.  153 

kingdom  of  God,  who  animates  all  thcfubjcds  of  it.  His  mani- 
fold operations  are  reprefenteci  by  the  fevcn  fpiriis  before  the 
throne.  If  the  fcrlpture  account  of  the  Holy  Ghod  had  been 
attended  to,  we  fhould  have  never  heard,  *'  That  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghoft,  were  one  God,  equal  in  power  and  glory." 
Or  *•  That  God  was  a  mofl:  perfedl  eflence  conlifling  of  thiee 
perfons."  A  famenels  of  effence  or  fubflance  conflitutes  no 
equality  in  power  and  glory,  which  belong  not  to  the  nature,  ■ 
but  perfonal  flite  of  God  as  reigning.  Many  of  Dr.  Watts'^; 
doxologies  taken  from  the  Popiflr  liturgy  are  very  faulty  :  As 
"  Glory  to  the  great  and  facred  three  ;"  "  to  the  three  and 
one  ;'*  "  Glory  to  God  the  Trinity,"  &c.  Some  church 
covenants  run  in  this  unfcriptural  form,  "  We  avouch  th^s 
Lord  Jehovah,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  GlioO:,  to  be  our  God." 
Such  ftufF  merits  the  utmofl  difapprobation  of  all  fcripture 
unitarians  and  trinitarians.  As  mere  divinity  of  nature  is  not 
the  ground  of  divine  worfliip,  but  divinity  of  flats  added 
thereto  :  and  as  divine  worfhip  is  terminated  on  a  perfonal 
obje£l  ;  fo  each  divine  perfon  mufr  be  v/orfhipped  according 
to  his  (late,  work,  and  our  relation  to  him, 

4.  Of  the  origination  of  the  Holy  GhoR,  and  of  the  man- 
ner of  his  deriving  his  being,  the  fcriptures  fay  noiLing.  though 
fcholaftics  fay  much,. 

Reputed  orthodox  traditionifts  tell  of  an  eternal  produfllve 
procefiTion  of  the  Holy  Ghoft  from  the  Father,  and  call  the 
Father's  acl  ih^xcin  fpiration,  to  diftinguifli  it  from,  and  match 
with  their  eternal  generation  of  the  Son.  They  can  defcribe 
heiiher  of  thefe  emanations,  nor  tell  how  they  differ,  only  in 
naiTie.  The  only  or  chief  text  on  which  they  ground  the 
Spirit's  procelTion,  relates  to  his  proceeding  from  God  \i\  his 
miffion  to  apply  himfelf  to  his  work.  John  xv.  26.  And  the 
fame  is  fpoken  of  the  Son  in  his  temporary  milTion,  John 
viii,  42.  '•!  proceeded  forth  and  came  from  God,  neither  came 
A  a 


i94  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

lofmyfelf,  biat  he  feat  ine."  The  word  fpi  rat  ion  they  get 
from  Chiifl's  breathing  on  the  apoftles,  faying,  "  receive  the 
Hoiy  Ghori,"  anJ  apply  it  to  his  eternal  procefTion  from  the 
Father's  breath.  But  this  is  to  darken,  and  not  illuminate  the 
iubjecl,  by  words  without  knowledge.  The  fcriptures  fpeak 
of  the  Spirit  as  an  agent  in  the  Molaic  creation,  and  he  was  no 
doubt  the  author  of  the  original  fanctity  of  all  rationals.  It 
was  through  this  eternal  Spirit^  and  not  through  his  own  eter- 
nal Godhead,  that  Chiifl  cffered  up  himfelf,  and  not  one  part  of 
himfelf.  through  the  other,  as  fome  have  fuppofed.  He  is 
thciefore  an  eternal  undivided  eJJ'entiality,  of  the  one  God  the 
Father  the  fountain  of  divinity,  and  is  divine  by  his  neceffary 
relation  to  Him  who  is  ncceff^rily  exiftent  and  divine. 

But  in  his  temporary  milTion  ht  proceeded  from  the  Father 
as  fent  by  hiiu,  and  by  jult  implication  from  the  Son  alfo, 
becaufe  fent  by  him.  Indeed  he  is  not  faid  to  proceed  from 
the  Son,  yet  He  is  called  the  Spirit  of  God  and  of  Chrift,  as 
officially  aQing  for  both.  The  long  fchil'm  between  the  eaf- 
tem  and  v.eftern  churches,  becaufe  the  latter  by  pious  fraud 
added //tc)^M^  to  the  creed,  expreffing  his  procefTion  from  the 
Son,  as  well  as  the  Father,  in  his  being,  (lands  on  the  page  of 
ecclefiaflical  hiftory,  as  a  monument  of  the  ignorance,  fuper- 
ftition,  bigotry  and  fraud,  of  fome  of  thofe  from  whom  many 
are  fond  of  taking  their  creed.  It  is  becauie  the  holy  f^irit  is 
fuch  a  peculiar  kind  of  perfon,  who  flands  in  no  politic  relation 
to  God,  Chrifl  or  Saints,  that  the  contemplation  of  him  is  fo 
difficult.  Wc  have  little  or  no  help  from  analogy  to  aflifi: 
cur  conceptions  of  him.  But  if  we  take  him  to  be  a  divine 
perfon,  an  eiernal  undivided,  and  underivcd  effentiality  of  the 
Father,  who  in  his  office  and  work,  is  ni-t  the  Creator,  the 
King,  Lawgiver,  S;ivior,  Redeemer  or  Judge,  but  the  infpira- 
tion  a^ent  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  Renewer,  San6t:fier, 
comforter,  and  applier  of  Chrifi.'s  redemption,  we  fhall  not 
conceive  much  amils  of  him. 


OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST.  195 

5.  The  Holy  Ghofl  is  now  the  third  perfon  in  the  chrlftian 
Trinity,  but  his  work  muft  be  confidered  under  fcveral 
notions  of  him. 

As  an  eternal  efTentiality  of  the  one  God,  to  him  are  to  be 
attributed,  the garnijhing  and  completing  all  the  original  works 
of  God,  and  adding  fanciity  to  fuch  parts  as  were  capable  of  it. 
No  creature  is  holy  without  his  operation.  Tl^e  heaven  of 
happinefs,  and  all  fpirits,  were  originally  made  holy  by  hitn  : 
Holinefs  is  his  kind  of  thing.  In  the  Mofaic  creation  He, 
moving  on  the  wateis,  gave  life  and  motion  to  ail  vitalifls. 
And  in  the^economy  of  grace  the  produfl  of  his  operation  is 
vital  fanftity.  He  afted  as  the  propheric  fpirit  of  Chrift  to 
come.  I.  Pet.  i.  11.  Through  Him  the  will  of  God  haih  been 
revealed  unto  men  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  il.  Pet.  i.  22. 
All  gifts  and  graces  are  afcribed  to  his  agency.  I.  Cor.  xii.  4, 
In  the  old  teftamcnt  times  his  operations  were  fuited  to  that 
difpenfation,  civile  moral,  and  typically  fpiritual.  Num.  vi.  11,16. 
I.  Sam.  X.  9.  Jcfus  was  born  of  the  Spirit,  anointed  with  the 
Holy  Ghoft,  afted  in  his  miniflry  as  not  having  the  fpirit  by 
meafure.  Miracles,  ngns  and  wonders,  were  wrought  through 
him.  &c.  The  order  in  which  the  three  divine  perfons  fublifi: 
in  the  Trinity,  fliews  the  order  of  their  operation.  The  divine 
elTsnce  or  nature,  is  one  and  indivifible,  originally  and  primi- 
tively the  Father's  as  the  fountain,  derivatively  the  Son's  as  the 
ilream,  communicatively  the  Holy  Ghofl's  as  the  vital  fanftity 
thereof,  diftinguiOied  perfonally  by  their  intellefcls,  from  whence 
arifeth  a  clear  difference,  and  yet  an  union.  The  Father's 
retained  efifence  or  life,  is  not  the  Son's  derived  elTence  or  life, 
and  neither  are  the  divine  effence  or  life,  the  communicative,^ 
whicli  is  the  Holy  Ghofl's.  The  a6ls  of  one  pcrion  are  not 
the  a6ls  of  the  whole.  The  Father  is  the  fender,  the  oth?r  two 
are  fent  ;  but  the  Holy  Ghofl  is  not  fent  as  the  Redeemer,  but 
as  the  Renewer,  Sanftifier  and  Comforter.     There  is  a  diftind 


1^6  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

imprellion  of  each  on  their  works.  The  Holy  Ghoft  is  not 
the  anima  mundi  of  Platonics,  but  the  author  of  divine  anim- 
ation to  the  kingdom  of  God,  who  actuates  all  the  fubjefts 
of  it.  The  divine  fovcreignfy  of  the  Trinity  is  not  of  nature 
and  providence,  but  of  grace  and  fanftity  ;  all  holinefs  in 
creotures  is  derived  from  the  Holy  (?ne,  through  the  Spirit. 
The  agctiicy  of  the  Spirit  under  the  new  teftament,  may  be 
considered  in  relation  to  the  Head  of  the  Church,  the  Church 
itfelf,  or  lo  particular  members.  Thus  we  may  conceive  of  the 
Holy  Ghoil.  as  a  divine  perlon,  an  eternal  undivided  efien- 
tiality  of  the  Father.  Officially  the  infpiration  agent  in  God's 
kingdom. 

The  v/ordiip  dueto  him  is  correfpondent  to  his  idea.  Ws 
are  to  believe  in  him.  Ee  baptized  into  his  name.  In  the 
benediftion  the  communion  or  communication  of  the  Holy 
Ghofl  is  prayed  for.  Our  regeneration,  renovation,  and  diving 
animation  is  by  him  :  he  is  appealed  to  as  a  v^itnefs.  We  are 
dehorte'd  from  quenching,  grieving,  refifting,  lying  to,  or 
blafpheming  him  ;  and  exhorted  to  be  filled  with,  led  by, 
walk  in,  and  after  the  fpirit.  To  worfhip,  oray^  and  do  all  in 
the  fpiiit,  an.d  bring  forth  his  fruits.  In  our  doxologies  fcrip- 
ture  forms  fliould  be  kept  to  :  or  fuch  as  are  agreeable  to  fcrip- 
ture  ought  only  to  be  ufed.  The  moft  in  common  ufe  are 
from  the  Roman  ritual,  and  betray  a  fliameful  ignorance  of  the 
fcripture  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  Polycarps  the  difciple  of 
St.  John  is  evangelical.  "  I  praife  thee,  I  blefs  thee,  O  God, 
by  theeverlafting  high  Prieft,  Jclus  Chrift,  thy  beloved  Son^ 
by  whom  glory  be  to  thee,  together  with  him,  through  the  holy 
fpirit  now  and  forever."  Always  keep  in  mind  that  the  one 
God  the  Father  is  thefupreme  objeft  of  worfliip,  and  that  W9 
have  accefs  to  him, by  the  Son,  through  the  fame  fpirito 


OF   THE  TRINITY.  i^^ 


CHAP.  IX. 

OF     THE     TRINITY. 


O/i/u  Trinity  :  the  Father  the  firfi  perfon  :  the  Son  ikefecond 
per/on  :  the  Holy  Ghofi  the  third  per/on  :  how  they  are  three, 
and  yet  one  in  ejence  or  nature,  and  in  the/overcignty  of  God's 
kingdom. 

THE  doQ:rine  of  the  chriftian  Trinity  is  a  peculiarity  of  the 
gofpel,  and  fundamental  to  the  religion  of  Cbrift,  It  is  not 
taught  by  the  light  of  nature,  nor  by  the  old  teflamcnt  reve- 
lation. The  Jews  did  not  believe  in  it  ;  nor  could  they  know 
orembrace  it  until  the  gofpel  revealed  it,  and  it  could  not  be 
revealed  until  Jefus  Chrift  was  rifen  from  the  dead,  nor  made  a 
praflical  ufcof  until  he  was  exalted  to  the  kingdom.  Jefus  Cbrift, 
and  no  eternal  Logps,  is  that  Son  who  is  the  fecond  perfon  in 
the  Trinity,  as  the  Father  of  hira  is  the  firft,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  both,  the  third.  An  eternal  Trinity,  a  parte  ante, 
hath  no  foundation  in  fcripture.  Jefus  Chrift,  the  fame  yef- 
terday,  to-day  and  forever  ;  but  yeflcrday  no  more  fignifies 
eternity  pall,  than  to-morrow  doth  eternity  in  future.  The 
dreadful  fluff  contained  in  the  Athanafian  creed,  made  by  a 
Monk  in  France,  fome  hundreds  of  years  after  his  death,  whofe 
name  is  impofed  upon  it  by  pious  fraud,  to  give  it  credit, 
merits  the  abhorrence  of  all  who  make  the  holy  fcriptures  their 
only  rule  of  faith. 

The  Trinity  are  the  three  divine  perfons  mentioned  in  the 
form  of  baptifm  ;  Matt,  xxviii.  19.  and  in  the  apoflolic  bene- 
diction :  II,  Cor.  xiii.  14.  and  the  three  that  bear  record  in 
heaven.  I.  John  v.  -7.  They  are  the  perfonal  fovercignty  in 
the   kingdom  of    God  and  of  Chrift.     They  are  the  Father  ; 


tg%  GF  THE  TRINITY. 

the  Son  our  Lord  Jefus  Chrift,  or  the  Word,  and  the  Holy 
GhoR,  three  dillinft  perfonal  beings,  and  yet  in  fome  intelli- 
gible fenfe,  enCy  but  not  one  God,  Being,  or  compound  intelli- 
gent agent. 

Thtfaft  in  order^  dignity  and  preeminence,  is  the  Father,  the 
cue  perfonal  Cod,  in  the  abfolutely  fupreme,  and  independent  fenfc, 
zoho  is  oj  none,  and  befuUs  whom  there  is  no  other  perfonal  God 
in  the  fame  fcnfe. 

To  maintan;  and  fupport  the  fcripture  do6i:rinc  of  the 
Trinity,  the  monotheifm  of  the  Father  mun:  be  eftablifhed,  as 
neccflanly  exiftcnt,  uncaufed,  unoriginate,  and  independent, 
pofTeffed  ofali  dtvine,  vital,  perfonal,  and  imperial  perfeftions 
in  a  dtgrre  manner  and  tranfcendent  to  all  creatures.  He  is  but 
one  Being,  that  is  one  intelligent  Agent,  or  Perlon,  according  to 
the  common  notion  of  a  perfon,  even  a  diftincl  individual 
intelleflualift,  with  one  underftandin?,  mind,  and  w'U  ;  and  a 
Being,  or  God,  can  have  no  more,  without  deftroving  its  indi- 
viduality. The  exiftence  of  this  one  perfonal  God,  is  in  the 
order  of  nature,  prior  to  the  being  of  the  chiiftian  Trinity. 
The  orthodox  Triunity,  as  it  ought  to  be  called,  is  no  Trinity, 
any  more  than  a  three  unit  is  a  Tnnjty  in  Arithmetic. 

An  individual  three  being,  perfon  or  agent,  or  a  compounded 
«ne  being, perfon, or  ageiit, are  full  as  intelligible,  and  ^s  agreeabj* 
to  realon,  fcripture,  and  the  analogy  of  things.  The  one  God 
hathlifein  himfelf,  of  himfelf  ;  He  isautotheos,  God  of  himfelf 
by  necefhty  of  nature,  and  the  fountain  of  diviruty  of  nature 
ZT\6flate  to  all  pc.lTelTcd  of  either,  or  of  both.  The  Icriptures 
krrbw  of  no  Triiliry  but  what  is  confident  with,  and  derived 
from  the  monotheifm  of  the  Father,  the  only  true  God,  who 
only  hath  immortality,  who  only  is  wife,  holy,  and  good  in  the 
abfolutcly  fupreme  and  undcrived  lenie.  All  of  being  and 
divinity  which  the  Son  and  Holy  Ghofl;  have,  is  from  the 
Father,  or  becaufe  of  their  relation  to  him  ;  but  he  derives  no 


OF  THE  TRINITY.  199 

effentiality  from  them,  having  the  reafon  of  his  exigence,  divin- 
ity, pcrfeclions,  and  government  in  himfelf.  He  is  the  God, 
as  much  as  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jefus  Chrift  in  his  vv'holc 
perlon,  and  highe  ft  capacity.  No  title  that  will  not  bear  the 
addition  of  Son  belongs  to  the  fecond  perlon  in  the  chriftian 
Trinity.  If  he  is  Jehovah,  it  is  as  a  Son.  If  he  is  the  ever- 
lafting  Father,  it  iS  as  a  Son  of  the  abl'olutely  eternal  God,  If 
he  is  God  over  all,  the  Father  is  excepted.  If  he  is  the  true 
God,  it  is  as  the  Son  of  the  only  tiue  God  in  the  luprcme 
fenfe.  Divid  was  the  only  true  king  of  lirael  in  the  fuprcme 
fenfe,  even  afrer  Solomon  was  crowned  at  Gihon  :  for  He  did 
not  trtcike  him  king  of  hiinfclf.  The  Son  calls  the  fiift  perlon 
his  God.  as  well  as  Father  :  and  even  where  the  Son  himfelf 
is  termed  God,  he  is  fa  id  to  have  a  God.  Heb.i.  8,  9.  The 
Father  is  the  only  God.  John  v.  44.  The  only  Lord  God. 
J;id.  4.  The  Father  is  greater  than  ti^e  Son,  not  as  to  one 
nature,  but  as  to  his  whole  perfon.  John  xiv.  28.  The 
Father  is  greater  in  the  throne  than  the  Son.  Hivi  that  JiL Let h 
on  the  throne,  is  a  periphrafis  of  the  Father.  A  preeminence 
to  the  receiver,  belongs  to  the  giver  ;  The  genitor  is  prior 
to  the  generated,  and  the  fender  to  the  fent.  To  underiland 
all  this  of  a  mere  nature,  makes  no  fenfe  at  all,  for  neither  nature 
nor  borh  natures  in  the  Son,  is  a  perlonal  agent,  without  that 
Intelle^:  which  exifls  in  thefe  natures.  This  preeminence  and 
monotheifm  of  the  Father  ought  to  be  maintained  as  the  founda- 
tion of  all  natural  and  revealed  religion.  It  by  no  meai.s 
derogates  from  the  real  and  true  divinity  of  the  Son  and  Holy 
Ghoft.  But  never  in  fcripturc  are  they  conjunftly  with  the 
Father,  reprcfented  as  the  one  God  :  nc^r  yet  are  either  of  them 
or  both  of  them,  another  God,  or  other  Gods  befides  him, 
becaufe  they  are  the  Father's  own  divine  Son.  and  Spirit,  buc 
not  fupreme  or  independent.  They  exift.  within  the  boun- 
daries of  the  one  undivided  effence,    and  fovereignty,  aad   arci 


200  OF  THE  TRINITY. 

as  far  from  being  creatures,  or  of  the  creature  fuhjecl  party  in 
God's  kingdom,  as  the  Father  hirafelf  is.  The  Son  of  God, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God,  cannot  be  of  a  different  Ipecies  from 
God,  though  they  mufl  have  fome  kind  of  dependent  relation 
to  him  :  whereas  to  fuppofe  any  fuch  thing  of  the  Father 
would  be  a  derogation. 

Il  is  on  this  primacy,  and  preeminence  of  the  Father,  that 
the  miilion  of  the  Son  and  Holy  Ghoft  is  grounded.  For  the 
Father  to  lend  his  Son  and  Srpirit,  involves  no  incongruity, 
becaufe  he  is  the  oiv7ier  of  them  :  but  for  them  to  fend  Him, 
would  be  a  great  impropriety  :  and  yet  if  there  was  that  full 
equality  fome  contend  for,  each  might  fend  the  other,  or  rather 
neither  could  fend  nor  be  fent,  as  there  mufl:  be  a  preeminence 
in  the  fender  to  the  fent.  Ana  as  to  the  Supreme  God's  under 
a  firfl:  denomination,  fending  the  Supreme  God  under  a  fecond, 
or  third  denomination,  it  is  a  mere  abfurdity.  A  denomina- 
tion cannot  be  a  miiTionary,  nor  can  any  compounded  being  or 
perfon  lend  a  part  of  himfelf.  The  priority  of  the  Father  to 
the  Son,  is  not  of  another,  but  of  the  fame  fpecies  of  being, 
whereby  as  a  Father,  he  is  the  origin,  fountain,  root,  caufe  and 
head  of  another  like  himfelf,  his  engraved  image.  Never  doth 
the  terms  God,  Father,  Being,  fignify  more  than  one  intelligent 
agent.  And  a  perfon  cannot  be  lefs  than  one  intelligent  agent. 
If  a  God,  a  Father,  or  Being,  is  more  than  one  intelligent  per- 
fonal  agent,  it  deftroys  his  individuality,  and  makes  three  per- 
fonal  Fathers,  Gods  and  Beings.  The  affertion  of  Dr.  Ed- 
wards in  his  Theol.  Reformata  is  big  with  abfurdity,  and  flatly 
repugnant  to  reafon,  ficripture,  common  fenfc,  and  the  analogy 
of  things.  *'  We  the  orthodox  afiert  that  as  there  is  but  one 
true  God,  fo  in  Him,  there  are  a  plurality  of  perfons,  and  ihefe 
perfons,  are  three.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghoff ."  Again  "  To 
form  a  right  notion  of  the  true  God,  we  mufl  fct  him  before 
us,  as  a  moft   blcffed  elfence  confi  fling  of  three  perfons.'*      If 


or  fns  TJliNiTV.  iit>^ 

k.>e  orthodox,  liad  not  been  pre&xed  to  tills  firnnge  jifTertior,,  it 
might  have  been  called  heterod>xy,  and  trHhtilrn,  <>r  nonimf* 
to  the  under-landing  of  mankind.  Ail  hun^n  f^cinfts  are  m  rhc 
one  God  as  a  parealid  providctnce  :  Acls  xvii.  /.d.  all  holy 
beings  are  in  him  «s  the  foijnt^itn  of  Sanitity.  J  u\n  xvn.  21, 
Heb.  ii.  Ji.  BLit  they  do  not  fc^nflituie  him  the  f»nc  G  -^f 
He  is  the  one  God  indf  pen'knt  of  them  :  fo  jH'o  is  fie  inde- 
pendent of  the  Son  and  Holy  Ghoili  The  famencis  of  tUfj 
divine  nitnte  or  efTence  (both  aif  the  fame)  in  all  beings  thit 
partake  of  it,  aS  all  holy  beings  do  iu  a  mciliire,  doth  not  con- 
ftitute  them  in  conjundion  with  the.Fiiher  the  one  God, 
Living  dreams  iffuing  from  a  living  foantiiln,  do  not  conili' 
tule  the  fountain  vviiat  it  is  ;  nor  do  rs\s  of  light,  proceeding 
from  the  Sun  as  their  fource,  form  the  Suni  Ah  elfcnce  or 
nature  is  that  in  which  an  intellccl;  exiils,  and  vvhere  the  intei- 
let-t  is  out  one,  fand  a  conapound  inteileft  is  nc  n'enlr)  peron- 
ility  can  be  but  one,  however  pi.M  fc6l  or  unbcrjnJed  thecff  nco 
or  nature  may  be,  or  how  many  foever  perlonal  agents  lublut 
in  or  partake  of  that  eflence,  "For  it  is  the  eiTcnce  of  one  intel- 
ligent agent,  which  is  the  fount. iin  to  all  the  rcftj  and  :n  hir.i 
it  is  necefl-ii-y,  unonginate,  underived,  ar.d  Hs  therefore  is  the 
one  God  in  the  abfolutely  fupremc  Icnle,  beiiJes  whom  there  i^' 
no  other  in  the  lame  feme. 

The  {econd  Perfon  in  the  chrillii.in  Trinitv,  is  the  bnlv  be- 
gotten Son  of  the  One  God  tlie  Father,  even  our  L'*rd  JduJi 
Chrift  in  his  exalted  ftate,  and  not  anv  eternal  Son,  or  Cvcroal 
Logos,  or  a»ny  divine  nature,  abftru^liied  from  the  whole  per!oi.i 
of  the  Son,  confitling  of  two  natu:>-^,  in  which  his  iu  tell  vitli 
fubfiRs. 

This    iliuftrious    perfonage,  whole  origination   by  his  Bc.'h>- 

lehemetical  generation  and    nativity,  both  been    delcribed,  WaS 

conftituted  of  the  divine  nature,  a  true  bodv,  and  a  reaf^)  "able 

foul  :   he  was  not  created   but   begotten  ;   was  not  a    crcaiuvej 

B   b 


■J02  OF  THE  TRINITY. 

hut  a  divine-  So'i  of  a  divine  Father.  He  was  firft;  a  child 
burn,  which  native  hciiihip  and  dignity  continued  during  th« 
wiicjle  titxie  oi^  his  progreis  towards  pcj  fe£l ion,  his.  beiug  with 
G(  d,  as  God,  and  iubfifting  in  the  fcrm  of  God,  Then  he 
be<  -in.c  a  Son  given  in  his  public  miniftry  :  and  afterwards 
5n  ins  exahcuioi.  ftaie  the  g,uvernment  came  upon  his  fiioul- 
dtjv  :  and  He  is  in  ftale  God  over  all,  the  Father  alone  ex- 
ctj.:cd.  in  every  ft^re  his  perfon  is  efTentially  the  fdme  divine 
ar,G  human  by  his  natures.  In  his  humilidtion  ftate,  he  took 
p  rr.  of  {lefti  and  blood  for  a  little  while,  and  was  in  ftate  man 
an  I  the  Ion  of  man,  but  fince  his  exaltation  ftate,  He  is  in  ftate 
G'^o  :  uhat  he  alTunied  in  his  inci^rnation  he  hath  now  laid 
aiuie  :  and  yet  tn  all  cffential  conftiiuitiv^s  of  his  perfon.  He 
iS  ever  the  lame,  vefterday,  today,  and  forever.  Things  pred- 
icible  of  him  in  one  ftate  are  not  true  of  him  in  another,  and 
He  was  in  two  llates  at  one  and  the  fame  time  ;  the  appendages 
of  one  ftate  ate  laid  a{ide  when  he  paftts  into  another  ftate  ; 
Bs  the  form  cf  God,  for  the  form  of  a  fervant  in  the  iiktneis 
of  men  :  and  as  exalted  he  is  neither  in  that  form  of  God,  he 
emptied  himfelf  of.  nor  yet  in  th«  hkenefs  of  men,  though  one 
like  to  the  Ion  of  man.  But  when  he  ftiail  deliver  up  the 
k'ur.dom,  to  the  Father,  it  is  likely  he  will  then  return  to  the 
frrm  of  Gc-d  in  »a  hich  he  fubfiftea  at  the  termination  of  his 
generative  capacity,  and  will  be  God,  wiih  God.  ' 

The  third  Pel  (on  m  the  chnftian  Trinity  is  the  Holy  Gkoji, 
lie  ba(h  been  proved  to  be  a  perfonal  agent,  and  not  a  mere 
viriu'e  or  energy  ;  divine  and  not  a  creature  :  an  eternal  undi- 
viccd  eftentialitv  of  the  one  God,  and  not  caufcd  by  any  pro- 
dvidiive  procffiicn,  or  (piration.  Ollicidily  the  inTpiratien 
i^ciii  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  a  peculiar  kind  of  perfon, 
^uft.'iiiing  no  jx'litic  relation  to  God,  CliiiO,  Angels,  the 
C  huu-h,  or  individual  Sair.ts.  His  diviniiy  of  nature  appears 
'^:     '  •■'•  !•■:••!",  foriiinaily  is  divinity  :   and  his  divinity  "of 


OF   THE  TRINITY.  2.0^ 

fi4itt  is  evident  from  his  jun6lion  with  the  Father  and  the  S  ■'! 
in  the  divine  fovereignty.  Tiie  eflence  and  power  of  f'le 
Holy  Gholl,  like  that  of  the  Son's,  is  not  another  tlivided  fro -n 
the  Fatlier's,  but  his  communicated,  manifefled,  and  exercikd 
in  a  certain  'vay  and  manner  peculiar  to  the  Holy  S^/irit,  to 
the  Father's  glory,  the  fource  and  fountain  of  all  divinity  ^f 
ftate,  and  nature.  The  honor  therefore  due  to  each,  mu^  l;e 
clivine  according  to  their  perional  chara6^ers,  and  works  :  and 
the  reafon  of  this  worfhip  cannot  be  the  fame  in  each  ptricjn, 
but  differs  as  "  of  whom  are  all  things,  by  whom  are  all  things^ 
through  whom  are  all  thini^^s,"  diffc^r.  The  intelligent  w^>r- 
fiiipper  will  not  confound  the!e  diftinttums,  milplace  thom^ 
nor  unite  them  as  mere  denominations  in  one  Agent,  Being, 
or  God. 

Thefe  three,  the  Father,  the  Son  or  the  Word,  and  the  Holy 
GhoQ,  are  therefore  three  divine  perlons,  and  not  three  mod- 
alities or  denominations  of  one  common  being  :  and  yet  m  lome 
real  and  important  fenfe  one.  I.  John  v.  ^.  Whether  Lhis 
text  is  canonical,  the  reider  is  referred  to  Travis'  Letters,  and 
others  who  have  written  upoti  ir.  This  theory  depends  not 
upon  ore  particuhir  text,  Th^t  they  are  not  three  n.odalitu«, 
denominations  or  relations  of  one  God,  appears  from  t'v-ir 
bearing  record,  for  then  the  witnels  would  he  of  one  and  .'",'  .-f 
three.  A  triur>e  teftimo.iy  w?s  never  heard  of.  They  cann -•f. 
be  three  in  the  fimc  (enfe  or  refpeCt  they  are  one  ;  n<>r  one  hi 
the  fame  lenfe  they  are  thret-.  The  original  for  or.e  is  t-ot  ei.t 
v/hich  fignifies  a  perfona!,  hut  m  which  imports  a  comp<niri'-l 
unity,  but  not  an  union  of  feverai  perfonalitif s  or  intellicf noes 
in  ot-e  Being  or  God.  It  is  the  '.irne  word  that  is  ufed  for  th? 
onenefs  of  Chrifh  and  le'icvers.  Jolm  xvii.  a  1.  If  it  imnrrs 
a  perfonal  or  effential  utiitv  hv  the  notati(»n  of  the  word,  in 
one  cafe,  it  doth  in  the  other  :  whirh  will  prove  too  ^'mh  h  f^.v 
orthodox  fchoUflics  themfelvt  ?. 


204  ^F  '^-^^E  TRINITY. 

A  pcrfon  is  a  diitii.cl  individuai  iiitelleflualifl,  cxifting  iq 
an  inciividiial  iubft.mce,  nature  or  c(knc^  :  the  lubllnnce,  na- 
ture, or  cifence  in  which  an  inlelletl:  exifts  is  not  a  perfon,  but 
bo  h  cooititate  perroiidiiiy.  ihc  life,  nature,  eflc'ice,  or  vital 
iubPt^ince  of  a  being,  is  what  denominates  or  diflinguilheth  it, 
from  others  of  an.>ihcr  fpecics  or  kind,  hfpccijic  ramenefs  of 
eiTf nee  doth  not  cor^flstute  the  Fiither,  the  S«>rj,  and  the  Holy 
Ghnfl  one  Goc',  any  more  than  a  fpecific  fariieneis  of  effence 
f  onih'tutes  three  men,  one  man.  The  term  God  never  fignifies 
:nore  than  one  intellicent  agent,  any  more  than  7nan  doth  more 
than  one  periona!  agent.  It  is  impoffible  a  perlon  fhould  be 
}e«rs  than  one  intelh>;crt  a[*ent  :  and  it  is  certain  three  intelli- 
gent aj^ents.  c-'nnot  be  one  iiitelbgent  ager)t.  any  more  than  one 
intelligent  agent,  ran  be  three  intelligent  agents. 

Even  a  nun-.erifa!  rarr-enefs  of  cffence  doth  not  conftJtute  a 
famenelsof  pcrf-n-Tlitv  :  for  thi^.  c(i:;r.ce  may  be  diflinguifhable  by 
ihe  fevcral  inte.'I  6ls  vv^ich  ex^ft  in  it,  and  yet  hot  be  divifible. 
And  levers!  natures  t  relf^^nces  may  belong  to  one  perfon,  and  vet 
there  not  be  ievfral  pcrfr,r-s  in  one  God.  or  Being,  for  this  would 
be  the  fame  as  fever'jl  perlons  in  one  pcrfon»  which  isimppffible. 
The  explaining  liuw  the  three  divine  pcrfcns  may  be  in  one 
fJ/hiCii  ana /over  cir;-nty!,  and  yet  the  Father  alone  be  the  one  God, 
in  the  fLipvcme  abl'olutc  len f"-,  fna II  be  attempted,  to  render  this 
doftrinc  of  baptifm  intelligible, 

1.  Bv  effcnce,  nature,  or  life,  for  they  are  the  fame,  is  not  toby 
underftood  a  being  or  perfonal  agent,  but  a  cetain  fpecific  con- 
fl.tuiiiveof  a  being  or  perfonal  agent,  which  diftinguidieth  hioi 
fiom  all  otliers  of  another  kind,  and  determines  and  denomin- 
ates him  to  whom  it  belongs,  to  be  what  he  is.  One  perfon  may 
have  more  natures  than  one,  yet  thefe  feveral  natures  have  no 
didiiift  feparatecr:i{lencc,  from  the  peifon,  or  diflin£l  power  of 
agency  or  capacity  of  fuffering,  fo  that  it  <^aB  he  faid  that  either 
paluie  nth  or  luHcrs  leparate  from  ihc  pcricu  whole  nature  i^  is 


OF  THE  TRINITY.  ^05 

A  nature  or  cff-ncvs  beln^  the  vital  fubftance  of  an  Itidivid- 
ua!  intelleftui'ifl,  is  the  compiehcnfion  of  certain  innate  proo- 
cr»ies,  and  qualities,  in  whch  there  are  fympathics    and  antip- 
athies,   whjch    prevent    reafon,   deiibcratioMj    ai:d    choice,  and 
Tn\y  be  confidered  as  an  inflindl  or  conRirution.      Theie  :s  (uch 
a  nature  in    all   Vital  beings    accurding  to  their  kind,   the  wolf 
is  fivage,  the  iamb  me:kj  the  ferpcnt  fubtle,  ^nd  the  dove  hartn- 
lefs.  by  nafire.      No\v  the    divine  nature  is  the  vital  conf^-iiu- 
iwvQ   fub{l.ince  of  the  infinite  mtelJe£l    of  God  :   and  is  fuper- 
hu  nan,  lupra-angelic^l,    and    creaturc-tranfcendent.      There  is 
but  one  kind  of   divine  nature,  as  there    is  fpecifically  but  one 
human  nature,  how    many  foever  partake  of   eiihcr.      And  by 
the    divine    nature  is  not    meant    the    metaphyfical  eff-nce  oT 
God  as  the  firft  being,  for  religion  hath  no   manner  of  concern 
with  the  (cience  of  analogy.      All  fpirits  ifTuing  from  rhe  Father 
of  fpirits   may  partake  of  the  phvfical  effence  of  the  Deity,  but 
this  puts  no  difference  between  them  oply  in  degree.      In  phyf- 
ical  entity,  immateriality,    mtelleftuality,    invifibility,   immor- 
tality,   &c.    there    may  be    only  a  gradual  difference    between 
good   and  evil   beingr-,  but  the  evil    partake    not  of  llic  divine 
nature  or  image  in  the  fcripture  fenfc.     By  the  divine  nature  \z 
intended  that  which  is  rhe  life,  vital  fubl^auce,  and  conftitution 
of  God,  asGjd,      This  is  '/itd  fmtlity  in  infinite  fulneis.      It 
belongs  to  no  creatures  a^  rreatures,   and  all  who  partake  of  ir 
in  any    degree,  do  To    by  dcrivanon,  and    communication  from 
Gjd  as    the  fountain  :   in  fcripture  language  they  are  partakers 
of  his  holinels  which  is  the  divine  n<iture.      He  alone  is  neccf- 
farily,    originally   and  infinitelv     holv.      Swidity  is  b:>'.h    the 
immaculate  purity,    and   unrivalUd  dignity  of  God.      IWs  dif^rim.- 
inality,  and  crcature-tranfcendenry^  whcicby  he  is  God  by  nature 
and  flatc.      The  quantity  of   his  phyfical  entity,    "  the  degrees 
of  his  exiflence,"  the  Infinity  of  his  underftanding,  &c.  abflr.^ft- 
ed  from  the  vital  fan£lity  of  his  nature,  do  not  th-'-^f  -  '    '^  ■" 
ftuyite  hip  God. 


2O0  OF  THE  TRINITY. 

2.  Vit^l  fanciity,  being  the  divine  nature,  this  is  the  -on« 
un:ori:;inate  eirenceof  the  one  God,  the  Father  alone,  the  foun- 
tain of  divinity.  It  is  in  him  an  infin:ts  ocean,  and  iucxhduffc* 
ible  fource,  of  light,  love,  and  eternal  holy  vitality,  ThiS  m 
its  unbounded  fulncfs  is  all  the  Father's,  and  is  the  fountain  of 
divinity  to  all  who  partake  of  it.  In  him  it  is  underived, 
uncaufed,  from  everlafling  to  everiafting.  In  there  was  any 
divine  erTence,  not  the  efTence  of  the  Father  as  i\\(t  fQiiniain  of 
divinity,  there  would  be  more  divine  tffences  than  one,  and 
the  one  undivided  effence  of  the  one  God  would  be  wanting, 
andalfo  the  Father  could  not  be  what  his  name  and  le'ations 
to  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghoft  import  him  to  be,  a  fountain 
un!:o  them.  If  the  divine  effence  W7is  Jierile  and  had  no  power 
o^  fecundity,  v,ox\c  co'jAd  partake  of  it  but  the  one  God.  But 
he  hath  a  power  of  deriving  it  to  otiiers.  From  this  divine 
effence  in  its  unbounded  fuhiefs  thfe  Son's  covfiituitive  difiind 
perfonal  ejfcnce  is  derived,  '*  As  the  Father  hath  life  in  himfelf, 
fo  hath  he  givento  the  Son  to  have  life  in  hina'elf."  John  v. 
26.  The  Father's  life  is  uncaufed,  and  of  himielf,  bur  the 
Son's  life  is  the  Father's ,^t ft,  life  of  his  life,  divine  and  eternal. 
Hence  the  St>n's  effence  the  deriv.-.tive,  is  the  Father's  effence 
comprehcnfiveiy,  and  vet  the  So  j*s  effence  conffitau.ive!y  as  the 
dillintt  vital  luhftance  of  his  peifona!  intelletl:.  This  explains 
how  he  is  m  the  Faiher,  and  the  F<ither  in  hiiTi,  ar>d  they 
are  vuc. 

In  a  reilr^ined  {cn{^,  the  divine  effence,  is  the  pcrfonal 
effence  of  the  Father,  the  life  retained  in  himfelf,  after  he  gave 
to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  himfeif.  This  is  conffituitive  of  no 
other  perlon,  for  if  the  Son's  given  life,  was  not  diftinft  from 
the  Father's  retained  life,  the  Father  would  fufler,  which  doc- 
trine of  the  patrlpapians  is  to  be  rejefted.  The  great  Jehovah 
cannot  die.  The  Son,  as  God  manifefh  in  HeflT,  purchafed 
the  church  with  his  own  perfonal  blood,  and  gave  his  life 
for  us. 


OF  THE  TRINITY.  '        207 

o.  Tlie  divine  nature  is  vital,  fpirit,  -Tncl  lifo  :  '•  Gofl  is  pur« 
l^'ijt,"  or  f|iiritality,  if  the  ^vard  may  beuie^.  Therefote  iJic 
S  ill's  generated  life  maft  be  life  of  life,  znd  fpirit  born  of  fpinu 
li^ht  of  light,  love  of  lovc,  eternal  life  of  etc  rnal  life,  wh'.chwas 
wall  the  Father,  This  vital  finctiiv,  which  is  the  fpecific  na- 
ture of  the  Father,  fo  as  10  be  an  exigent  individual  iuhftance, 
is  communicated  in  a  de;rci:\.o  all  Uints,  and  thev  are  one  with 
Gnd  and  Chrtft,  as  ihc  Father  and  S  )■.)  are  one  ;  J  'hn  xvii.  22. 
but  It  IS  not  cundituitive  of  their  peif»ns  :  the  union  is  not  in 
the  lame  de,^ree,  for  ia  the  Son  dcudls  all  tki  fulnefs  of  the  z^od-  ^ 
he.ad  bodUy,  lo  as  to  be  tfe  conllituiiive  iubllance  of  his  inteiicct, 
and  in  conjiiutlion  with  the  human  nature,  forms  his  difluict 
perionality  as  the  only  begotten  of  the  Fither,  and  givts  this 
fii  ft  born  a  preeminence  above  his  many  brethren,  who  aie 
crcritures,  and  the  children  of  God  alio.  And  as  the  Fatlier 
was  imperial  or  the  hi^hcfl  in  begetting  his  only  Son,  thjt  Sua 
mufl  be  imperial  alio,  the  King  the  S'>n,  and  iuljecl-tranl'cend- 
cnt  ;   as  well  as  creatiire-nanfcendeni. 

4.    In  the    S  )n*s   generation,   the    Father's    effence    was    io 

imparted  as    not   to  be  divided    fro.n  his  own,    as   is  the  caie  in 

human  generations.      The   Son's  communicated  life    was  like-ix 

living  ft;ieam  iffuing  from  a  living  fountain,  (o  that  the  dream 

itfelf  is  a  fource  of  vitality  to  others,  as  the  fountain  is  to  thaC. 

*'  It  oleafed  the  Faiher  that  in  him  all  fuluels  (hould  dvvell^  and 

of  his    fulre'.s  we  receive  grace    for  grace."      Grace  in  nian  is 

r«tuie  in    G  -d.      There    is    a  mutual   indwelling  between  ihc 

fountain  and   the  ftream,   they  live  in  each  other,    are    di/tin&f 

o:;d  vet  one,  and  the  Imaller  rivulets  arc  in  theai,  and  otic  wuh 

them   in  a    lower  degree.      "  He  that    fjnc.tiiieih  and  they  who 

are  fantlified  are  all  of  one.'*   Heb.  ii.  11.      As  the  Scu'^  life  i* 

not  divided  fro'ii  the  Father's,  the  Faihei':>  hfe    being  eterrnl, 

the  Son's  muft  h'e  eternal  alio,  and   iv.   iafiDite  fulneli..      *'  All 

things  that  the  Father  hath  arc  mine,"      T..e  Son  exiPucg  wi'.h- 


to 


8  Of  THE  TRmiTV. 


in  the  boundaries  of  the  godhead  as  a  per  ion  of  i?",  is  ^ot  of  th-B 
fubjeft  creature  party,  and  yet  is  fuhje6t  to  his  God  c;!-d  Father, 
as  a  dutiful  Sun  ou/^ht  to  be.  Jelus  is  the  divine  King,  the 
Son,  of  the  divine  King  the  Fjther. 

5,  The  Son  muft  be  a  derivative  and  not  felf-origtnate,  or 
eternal  a  parte  ante. 

TheTe  are  as  p^eculiar  to  the  Son^  as  felf  cxiflence  is  to  the 
Father,  Two  uncauled  perfonal  edonces  in  the  godhead^ 
would  necclTariiy  m.ike  a  plurality  of  Gods.  An  eternal  nerci- 
fary  generation  is  impofiibJe.  God  Is  not  always  father  as  he  is 
always  God,  The  Father  mufl  be  a  free  a^ent,  ellc  Jeius  would 
not  be  the  Son  of  his  love. 

D-.  Edwards  in  Theol.  Rcformat3j  Vol.  I.  p.  283  affer 
ackt.owledging  the  Son's  efl^nce  to  be  derived^  adds,  *'  This 
d"th  not  hinder  or  deftroy  the  felf-origuiation  of  it."  A  .d 
this  ftrange  affertion  is  thus  (upported.  "The  eilence  of  ihe 
Father  being  felf  exiftent,  that  of  th*  Son  muft  be  to  too,  leeipg 
the  elTence  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  is  »he  larnt,**  A>d 
therefore  with  Athanafius,  Calviu  Bv  za,  &( .  he  laiih  the  Son  is 
autotheofGod,  of  himjelf.  This,  faith  he,oj.ii}ht  not  lo  (een,  ftrangei 
to  them  who  are  acquainted  with  our  Savior's  vtoros,  **  as 
the  Father  hath  life  in  himfelf,  fo  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to 
have  life  in  himfelf.'*  Tiie  Son's  hA<i\^  ^iven.  then  he  h^th  it 
in  himjclf^  andfo  have  all  the  regenerate  in  a  decree.  But  can 
given  life  be  necelTary, or  unoriginare  ?  The  Rev.  John  B«r- 
n-trd,  iij  a  fermon  delivered  at  a  B  fton  leclture,  1761,  from 
I.  John  V.  20,  pubiiPaed  ?t  the  dcfire  cf  the  heuiers,  fahbj 
page  14,  '•  Icannot  but  thiuk  Jefus  Chnft  is  as  trulv  and  prop- 
erly the  Son  of  God,  as  Ifaac  was  the  (on  of  Abrahanni,  whom 
Abr.iham  is  fiid  to  beget."  And  in  p^ge  23,  he  affirms  the 
Son  to  hejeljcxijlent,  and  independent,  "  becaufe  there  can  be 
ro  being  prior  to  him,  from  which  he  fhould  derive,  and  on 
which  he  can  be  dependent.**     Thus  he  forgets  the  Esther  or 


OF  THE  TRINITY.  20^ 

pt^ta  ilajc-^von  in  his  place.  Here  Trinitarians  ana  Anlilrinita- 
rian&fclwidc^  and  the  former  arc  charged  with  Tritheiiin  by  the 
latier.  it  may  be  neceffary  to  fee  if  they  cnn  clear  themlelves 
from  this  high  charge.  Since  the  F.ither_jaz.'(?  the  Son  his  life, 
it  could  not  htt  ftlf- originated ^  and  its  bein,^  in  hifrJclfaUcr  fucli 
gift,  is  as  true  of  others,  as  of  him,  u  ho  arc  made  pa i  takers  of 
divine  life.  And  although  the  Father's  and  the  Son's  life  are; 
in  fome  ferife  the  fame  :  yet  the  Fathci's  ictaineJ  hi'cj  is  not  the 
Son's  ^iOff/i  life.  But  Ijiith  Dr.  Edwards,  '-The  vvriole  divine 
elTence  is  wholly  in  each  perfon,  and  was  ever  [o  fro^-a  all  eter- 
nity." But  this  wants  proof.  The  lupoorition  of  an  cternoi 
Son,  by  an  ef.ernal  generation,  haih  neither  realon,  fcriptare, 
nor  common  lenle  to  {upport  it,  and  enlirely  dellfoysihe  pein^ 
of  tiie  only  begotten  Son,  accorcing  to  the  Icripture  -ac- 
count of  his  only  gerieration  aiid  nativity  at  Bethlehem.  Hii 
wjy  of  arguing  in  creation  will  apply  her>!;,  and  in  the  produc- 
tive proceflion  of  the  Holy  Ghoft,  by  fpiration^  *•  The  caufc 
mufl  precede  the  elTed,  and  an  eternal  caule  of  an  eternal  effe^l, 
it  is  abfurd  to  fuppole,  becaufe  it  is  impoOihle,  what  had  its 
being  from  another  fliould  be  co-exiftcnt  with  it."  He  iaiiit 
we  fhall  be  called  Trithcids  :  and  what  then  ?  Some  of  the 
ancient  falherjs  were  fo  called.  R;Uher  thin  not  be  ofthodox,  hb 
would  run  the  venture  of  this  charge.  But  this  is  a  mixrahl-i 
confolatlon.  To  be  erroneous  in  fo  important  a  Doint,  becaui^; 
fome  called  orthodox  by  themfelves  and  party,  were  really 
erroneous  according  to  fcripture,  is  cert£fnly  not  commend.ible. 
If  !he  Father  is  Autotheos,  God  of  himielf.  and  the  Son  is 
Autotheos,  and  the  Holy  Ghoil  is  Aiitoilicos,  tl;ree  Autothtr 
cannot  be  one  Autotheos  :  as  v/ell  may  three  units,  be  one 
unit.  It'  the  three  perfor.s  haveor-.e  common  elfence,  yet  each 
halh  its  own  diilintl  tntelle6>,  and  a  diflintl  pcrfonal  edcncq 
in  which  it  exiOs,  vi'lthout  any  reparation  or  uivifion  <,f  thi^ 
©ne  elTence.  The  per  fond  I  cfifence  of  the  Father  aa  no  .i:ci\5 
C   g 


.io  OF  THE  TRINITY. 

be  the  perfonal  ciTcnce  of  the  Son,  than  the  Father  himfelf  can 
bs  the  Son  himieif. -/The  Father's  undcrived  life  retained  in 
himfelf,  IS  not  the  Son's  derived  given  life.  The  living  foun- 
t.iii  is  not  the  living  ftream  ififuing  from  it,  nor  is  the  flream 
the  fountain.  They  are  as  di{lin61;  as  the  exemplar  and  exprefs 
im.ige.^  No  lamenefs  of  ellence  will  m^ke  the  flream  or  the 
ifn<2j;e  leif  exi'lcnt,  though  the  llrcam  is  in  the  fountain  as  its 
foutce  :  nor  can  the  fountain  be  the  flream  and  derived,  though 
it  dwells  in  the  ftream  and  is  a  living  fountain  to  it.  The 
divine  effence  of  itieif  doxh  not  ctinftitate  perfonality,  but  is 
the  vital  fabfbance  of  the  three  perfons,  with  fuch  diflmflnefs, 
that  each  intel!e6}:  hath  its  own  perfonal  edence.  The  com- 
munication of  that  eflence  in  an  equal  degrse  to  the  three  per- 
fons, will  not  render  them  i^n  all  refptds  equal,  becaufe  the 
F-jther  is  ihe  fountain  of  divinity  to  the  other  two  perfons, 
and  therefore  He  alone,  and  not  the  three,  is  the  one  God  in  the 
fuprcme  fenle,  as  he  alone  is  of  none,  and  befides  or  without 
liim,  there  is  no  other  in  the  fame  fenfe,  or  in  any  other  real 
fenfe.  But  fo  fuppofe  three  perfons  of  the  fame  effence,  each 
a  fountain  to  himfeif,  equal  in  power  and  glory,  is  Tritheifro, 
lei  the  charge  fall  where  it  will,  and  no  unity  of  confent  frees 
fro;n  it.  Since  mere  nature  doth  not  conflitute  perfonality, 
and  divinity  of  nature  is  no  perfonal  obje6l  of  worfliip,  the 
worfnip  of  three  equal  perfons,  each  divine,  mufl  be  the  wor- 
Tiiip  of  three  Gods,  notwithftianding  their  unity  of  effence  and 
confent.  And  if  the  effence  of  the  Son  is  derived  as  hath 
bet",  coiifeffcd,  its  felf  e>ci[lence  is  a  contradi6lion,  and  is  the 
lame  as  for  a  thing  to  be  and  not  to  be.  No  Company  of  all 
the  orthodox  fathers  in  the  world  is  fufficient  to  excufe  any  in 
ihcif  adherence  to  fuch  erroneous  opinions.  It  is  thefe  Trith- 
ciftic  and  contradiftory  tenets,  pertinacioufly  adhered  to,  for 
the  fd^e  of  their  Diana,  orthodoxy,  and  good  covipany,  that 
gives  fuch  juft:  caufe  of  oilence   to  Jews,    and  others  as  good 


OF  THE  TRINITY.  211 

men,  if  not  better  than  they  :  makes  Deifts,  and  keeps  muiu- 
tudes  back  from  profcfTing  Chriftianity.  This  {lumbliug  block, 
Athanafians,  and  orthodox  Trinitarians,  and  Triunitarijns,  ought 
to  remove  out  of  the  way,  as  it  is  of  their  own  laying. 

The  divine  efifence  is    diftinguiQiable   into  what  it  is  primi- 
tively^ and    what  it  is   derivatively,    the    farmer  is  the    Father's 
retained  life,  ihe  latter  is  the  Son's  given  perfonal  life.      It   be- 
came of  this  twofold  confideration  upon  the  Son's  generation, 
when  it  was  imparted,  but  not  divided,  and  fo  the  fame  edeace 
of  the    one  God    originally  and  comprehenfively,  became  the 
effence  of    two    divine  perfons,    the  Father's   primiti'-eiy,  and 
the  Son's  derivatively,  without  any  divifion,      1  he  derivative 
effence,  in  the  large  comprehenfion,  is  the   Father's,  and  as  im- 
parted, but  not  parted  with,  it  may  be  called  the  undivided  deriva- 
tive.     And  an  individual  intellect  with  an  individual  iubftance 
being  a  perfon,    if    the  individual    fubftjnce  is   wanting,   there 
can    be    no  individual  perfon  :   therefore  the  Father   generated 
no  Son,  if  no  diilin6b  individual  fubftance  was  derived.       One 
intellect  can  ctfnilitute  only  one  perfon,   and  to  each  intelltft 
there  muQ:  be  a  diftmct    vital  fubflance,  otherwil.;  it  will  be  no 
perfon,  but  a    mere  modality.      Such  a    Trinity  fome  hold  to, 
making     the     Father,    Son,    and    Holy    Ghoft,    only    relative 
properties  or   denominations,  which  they  fay   are  incommuni- 
cable, and    conflitute    three   perlons,    when    in    fa6l    they  are 
but   three   modes   of  the    being  of  the  one  God  in  one  eilcnce. 
Thus    the  fchoolmen,  Drs.  Wallis,    and    South,  &c.  Sibellia- 
nize,    as   the  others  Tritheize.      Good    Dr.  Watts  adopts    this 
indwelling    fchemc,  of  one  infinite  fpirit    under  three  relation^. 
But  a  relation  is  only  a  denomination,  neither  oufia  cjfence,,  nor 
hvpofldfis  Jubjianze,    are  a  perfon.      Some  erroneoudy  fuppofc 
fubftantiality  conftitutes  perfonality,  but  this  is  a  roiflake,  there 
rnuft    be  intellcftuality  aUo,    and  there    may  be  feveral  di{\!ni^ 
fubftances  in  one  perfon,  as  in  Cl.'if^,  divine,  hti;nan.  and  animal 


512       X  OF  THE  TRINITY. 

in  i.ne  clays  of  his  flefii,  and  3et  be  never  had  more  than  one 
intclleO.  If  God  IS  but  one  infinite  Spirit,  under  three  rela- 
tions or  denomination?;,  he  is  but  one  perfonal  objeft  of  worfhlpj 
and  Dr.  Watts'  d:)xologics  are  ablurd. 

Plach  pcrfon  muft  be  a  diftin^l  intelh'gent  agent  to  be  an 
object  of  worfnip.  There  is  no  fpecific  diflPerence  in  fpirits, 
as  fpirits  :  The  diflftrence  between  holy  angels  and  devils  lies 
not  in  their  inteiletts,  but  in  the  natures  wherein  they  exift  or 
of  which  they  conuftj  the  one  is  vitally  holy,  the  other  is  vital- 
ly wicked.  Though  an  '  individual  fubdance  muft  concur  to 
conftitute  perfonaiity,  yet  the  addition  of  one  or  more  fob- 
Aances  doth  not  double  the  perfonality  as  we  fee  in  man*s 
partaking  of  the  divine  nature,  he  was  a  perfon  before,  and  is 
but  one  pcrfon  afterwards.  JBut  the  addition  of  one  intelleft 
to  another  will  make  two  perfons  if  they  have  a  nature  to 
exift  in.  And  if  two  or  three  intellecls  by  having  a  common 
efTence  are  one  God,  they  by  having  each  its  effence  are  equally 
three  Gods,  as  hath  been  proved  againft  the  Athanafians.  On 
the  other  hand  if  there  is  but  one  infinite  fpirit,  no  multiplicity 
of  natures,  relations,  or  denominations,  will  conftitute  him 
more  than  one  perfonal  agent  :  to  afcribe  diftmcl  worfliip  to 
thefe  natures,  relations,  or  denominations,  is  improper  and 
ablurd.  Our  idea  of  the  Trinity  is  equally  clear  from  Trithe- 
ifm,  and  Sabellianifm,  which  makes  it  to  coDfift  only  in  three 
modalities,  relations,  or  denominations,  without  intelletluality, 
to  found  perfonality  upon. 

6.  Befides  the  divine  cfience  the  primitive,  and  the  derivaf 
tlve  without  any  divifion  :  there  is  the  divine  eftence  the 
communicative  :  and  this  vitality,  the  communicative,  is  the 
cCence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  an  undivided  c{[^mh\ity  of  the  onp 
God  who  is  the  Fiither. 

The  imperial  Father  is  the  head  of  a  vital  empire,  and  muft' 
pcflcfs  thst  life  which  is  conjiituitivc  of  his  perfon,  and  that  li% 


OF    THE  TPJNITY.  213 

which  is    communicative,    which    is   the   effcncc  of  the    Holy 
Spirit,  who  was  tht  Father's  agent  in  crer,tion,  and  in  the  Son's 
generation,     and   in   the    communication    of  vital    fanftity    to 
the  whole  empire.      And  the  imperial    Son  is    mediate  Head  of 
a    vital    empire  :    and  there  is    in  his  elTence  the  vitality  which 
is  conflituitive  t)f  his  pe.rl.m,   and  the  vitality    which  is   commu- 
nicative.     Therefore  the  one  divine  efTence  mud  be  confulercd 
as  it  is    the    cunjlituitive  pnjonal    cffincc  of  tht    Fathir    as    the 
primitive,  and   the  cmjlituitive  perjonal  cjjtnce  of  the  Son.  as  the 
derivative,    confronted   to   the   divine   ejftnce   the  communicative ^ 
which  is  the  conjUtidtive  ejfence  of  the  Holy  Ghofi.      That  vitality 
which  the  Father's    efifence    is,  as  the    primitive,  mud  be  con- 
fronted to  the  Son's  as  the  derivative,   and  as  it  is  \.\it  confiitii- 
itive,  it  is  confronted  to  the   communicative,  which  is  the  Holy 
Ghoft's.      And  in  like  manner  the  vitality    of  the  Son   as  the 
derivative,  mufl  be  confronted  to    the  vitality    the  primitive  ; 
and  as  it  is  merely   the  conflituitive  of   bis  pcrfon,   it   mud    be 
confronted  to  the  communicative. 

Moreover  as  the  Son  is,  conjun6lly  and  yet  fubordlnalely,  with 

the  Father,  the  head  of  a  vital  empire,  the  third  perlon,  who  is 

vital /aridity  the  communicative,    muft    be  derived  from  the  hi  ft 

to  the  fecond  perfon,    and    in  his    miff  on    proceed   f:om  both. 

t^ow  zs  vital fan&ity  is  not  an  accident,  or  modality,  but  a  hib- 

flance,  and    the   Son  and  Ho'y  Ghoft  both  partake  of   it  in  a 

divine  degree,  they  can  be  no  creatures  by  nature.      And  fince 

the  divine  eiTcnce  is  numerically  one  in  the  Father  as  the  foun* 

tain,  zc\di  fpecifically  one  in  cnch  per'on  :   the  Father  muft  be  the 

one  God  and  the  centre  of  unity    to  the  S'-n  and  Holy  Ghcft. 

Thus  an  unity  of  the  divine  cflence  is  preserved  in  the  Father  : 

and  fubordinate  to  his  monotheifm  we  hive  a  Trinity  of  divine 

perfons  in  the  undivided  eftence  of  the  one  God,  and  a  diftin^- 

nefs   ofeffencein    the   other  two    perfons  by    their    intelieas. 

The  Father's  is  the    living   fountain,    the    Son's    conftituilivc 


214  OF  THE  TRINITY. 

effcnce  is    the  living  ftream,   and  the  Holy  Ghofl'^    is  the  vi- 
tality, the  communicative  from  both. 

Thefe  three  divine  perfons  are  alfo  of  one  undivided  fove- 
reignty  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

This  is  an  ii^perial  political  unity,  and  belongs  to  their 
(late,  as  the  other  did  to  their  nature.  The  authority  is 
eri^inal'm  the  Father,  derived  to  the  Son,  and  adminiftered  by 
him  through  the  infpiration  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghofl,  to  the 
glory  of  the  Father  the  fountain  of  power.  It  is  a  triune  gov- 
ernment, if  any  like  the  word,  om  in  the  Father  its  fountain, 
and  twofold  befide,  in  the  exerciie  of  it.  Each  divine  petfon 
afts  according  to  their  refpeftive  ideas,  and  the  perfonal  order 
of  their  luhfiflcnce.  This  doftrine  of  baptifm,  called  a  myf- 
tery  by  kholaftics,  but  not  l^y  Icriptuie,  into  which  babes  in 
Chrifl:  are  baptized,  may  be  fummed  up  in  few  words.  "  It  is 
the  fubfiftence  of  three  divine  perfons  in  one  undivided  effencc 
or  nature,  each  in  their  order,  and  their  threefold  admimflra- 
ticn  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  conftituted  at  the  refuneQion 
and  confequent  exaltation  of  Chrift,  by  an  undivided  i'ove- 
reignty."  The  Father,  as  fupreme,  is  the  one  God,  *'  of 
whom  arealltbings  :"  the  Son,  as  divine  in  nature  and  flate, 
"by  whom  are  all  things  :"  the  Holy  Ghcft,  adivine  perfonal 
agent,  "through  whom  are  all  things."  And  the  vvorfhip  due 
to  each,  is  in  the  (ame  order,  "  by  the  Son,  through  the  fame 
fpirit  we  haveaccels  to  the  Father." 

All  holy  perfons  and  ferious  enquirers  after  truth,  are  left 
to  judge  of  themfelves  what  is  right,  concerning  the  preced- 
ing exphnation  of  the  fcripture  do8rine  of  the  Chri/lian 
Trinity.  It  is  hoped  orthodox  Trinitarians,  i'o  called,  and 
Unitarians  or  Antitrinitarians  fo  reputed,  will  reconfider  their 
fenliments  upon  this  do£lrine,  for  it  is  important,  and  not  a 
were  fpeculation,  and  all  their  principles  of  divinity  in  general, 
will  take  their /^«<f?z^r^. from  their  apprehenfions  of  it  :  and  tht 


OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  COD.  £i^ 

underftanding  and  believing  it  might,  will  have  a  falutary  in- 
fluence upon  their  lives  and  prat^ticc.  The  conceiving  of  it 
as  a  myftery,  and  underftanding  a  ray  fiery  to  he  lometiiing 
inexplicable  and  incomprehcnfiDle,  have  contrthu:^  muv-hj 
throu-^li  want  of  a  h.»bit  of  thinking,  and  a  !,;irit:  of  free  inquiry, 
to  that  profound  ignorance,  many,  and  even  divines  aie  char,i^e- 
able  with,  of  this  dodrinc. 

It  13  very  ieldom  treated  of,  and  when  it  is,  it  is  in  a  way 
that  either  fliews  they  do  not  underftand  it,  or  are  enchained 
by  cieedsand  catechifnns,  which  in  tei minis  contradi<El  fcripture, 
and  are  evidently  repugnant  to  reafon,  common  fenfe,  and  the 
analogy  of  things.  It  is  too  true,  how  much  foever  it  is  t-j  hs 
lamented,  that  if  any  try  to  break  their  fetters  and  think  for 
the  nfelves,  and  efpecially  if  they  make  known  the  refalc  of 
their  enquiries  upon  this  fubjetl,  the  no-thinking  traditionifis 
are  too  apt  to  fligmatize  them  as  hcretica!,  even  when  tiisy 
propagate  only  the  unadulterated  truths  of  fcripture,  if  the/ 
happen  not  to  coincide  with  commordy  received  opinions. 
It  is  hoped  the  reader  of  this  will  preferve  a  mind  of  his  own 
to  be  perru:idt"d  in,  free  and  independent  of  all  pretended  human 
authority,  but  rea/ tyranny  and.uIurpeJ  lordfiiip  over  the  faith 
and  coaiciences  of  men. 


CHAP.   X. 

OF     THE     KINGDOM     OF     GOD- 

Thc    Kingdovi    of  God   of  which   th:   ChrijlLin  Trinitj/  art   thz 
P  erf  on  at  Sovereignty,  defr.ed  and  dtfa-ibed, 

AS  God  is  definitively  the  Divine  Majsfiv,  he  mufl  havi  a 
kingdom  appropriately  his  cton.  Hir.  dominion  in  nature  and 
providence    is  as    extenfivc    as  creation,  and  flriclly  univcfal. 


2i6  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD, 

But  this  is  not  the  iraperial  eftate,  or  the  imperfonal  love* 
leit^nty  of  the  chridian  Trinity.  The  doftrineofa  trinity 
belongs  not  to  nature,  but  to  grace,  not  to  Jiidaifm,  but  to 
Chridianlfy  as  eftabhlhed  lince  the  reiurreftion  of  the  lecond 
peifd"n  in  it,  from  the  dcad^  and  exaltation  to  the  throne  of 
God.  The  kingdom  of  God.  of  Clififl;,  and  of  heaven,  are 
the  fame,  it  ib  not  once  named  in  the  Jewilh  law,  for  it  had  not 
come,  was  not  created,  or  ere6led,  in  old  teftarnent  times.  And 
although  the  nam3  ts  found  in  Je.vifh  writers,  they  meant  not 
the  fame  thing  the  gofpel  intends  by  it.  It  had  not  come, 
but  was  at  hand,  when  Chrift  begarj  to  preach,  and  Cyhrift  duc6is 
his  difciples   to  pray  for  its  coming,  and  it  did   come  at  his  ref- 

urre^lion,  when    lie  was    advanced    to  the   throne  of  it,  as  the 

-  \ 
mediatorial  creator  of  all  things  new.      As  it  is  peculiar  to  the 

gofpel,  its  feveral  fignifications  mufl  be  deduced  from    the  nev/ 

teftament  revelation.      Thefe  are  three,  to  which  all    others  are 

reducible,  agreeably  to  the  common  ule  of  the  word  kingdom. 

The  region  or  territory.  The  reigning  eftate,  or  peifonal 
fovercignty.  The  Polity,  including  the  goods  of  it,  fanftity 
and  glory. 

1.  The  Kingdom  of  God  figniiies  the  region  or  territory^  even 
heaven,  locally  underjlood. 

This  is  the  celeftial  paradife,  the  lupernal  city,  the  region  of 
immortality  and  beatitude,  where  is  the  court,  throne  and  refi- 
dence  of  the  great  King.  Matt.  v.  lo.  and  ix.  47.  We  read 
of  heavenly  places,  manfioos,  and  a  third  heaven.  This  divine 
territory  includes  the  whole  circumference  of  the  etherial 
regions,  and  fixed  ftars,  where  the  vad  univerfe  of  holy  fpirits, 
who  have  their  exiftence  in  the  heavenly  (late  of  life  and  blefT- 
ednefs,  dwell.  Properly  all  that  is  not  this  world,  is 
heaven  or  a  ir.anfion  of  it,  for  in  this  world  is  hell,  and  heaven 
and  hell  divide  the  univerfe.  Some  no  mean  chriftian  Philofo- 
phers  have  placed  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb  right  over 


OF  THE  KINGDOM  O^  COD,  sxi 

the  milky  way,  which  is  the  caufe  of   its  effulgence  and  bright- 
nefs,  notwithllanding  itsvaft  diftance  from  hence. 

2.  The  kingdom  fignifies  the  reigning  ejlatt  or  ptrfonalfovtr" 
eig7ity.  The  kingdom  of  God,  and  of  Chrift,  is  their  eflate  of 
reigning  in  the  fovereign  adminiftration  of  things.  Matt,  xvi, 
s8.  The  coBning  of  Chrift  in  his  kingdom  is  to  be  underftood 
of  his  reigning  condition.  Mark  ix.  i,  comp.  Luke  xxi.  31, 
So  it  is  to  be  underftood  in  the  requeft  of  the  penitent  thief^ 
And  when  Chrift  faith  "My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  :" 
it  means  hiseftate  of  reigning, 

3.  It  fignifies  that  polity  of  which  God  and  Chrift  are  the 
|)erfonal  fovereignty,  including    the   good  of  it,   fanftity    and 

This  is  the  kingdom  of  God  and  faints,  of  Chrift  and  fanfti- 
ty,  grace  and  glory.  God  the  judge  of  all  is  the  fuprcme  Head, 
Chrift  the  mediatorial  fovereign,  the  Holy  Ghoft  the  infpira- 
tion  agent,  and  animating  fpirit,  angels  and  holy  men  the  fub- 
jefts,  fan6lity  and  glory  the  goods  of  it.  Heb.  xii.  22,  23.  It 
is  a  regular  orderly  polity,  the  parts  of  it  are  united  together  by 
an  implicit  or  explicit  confederacy,  having  a  conflitution  and 
common  law,  and  is  held  together  by  the  bonds  of  rights  and 
dues.  It  is  the  fame  with  the  Church  militant  and  trium- 
phant, the  holy  empire  of  which  the  new  Jerufalem  is  the 
metropolis. 

Confidering  it  as  the  kingdom  of  Chriftianity  in  the  real 
and  perfonahcceptstion  it  is  vifiUe  ayid  invifibk. 

As  the  vifible  chriftian  church,  it  includes  all  who  owrl 
the  one  faith,  and  confefs  Jefus  Chrift  to  be  Lord.  Men  be- 
come the  fubjefls  of  it  under  this  connderation  by  faith  and 
baptifm,  or  a  birth  of  water,  or  the  wafliing  of  regeneration. 
In  this  view  it  is  compared  to  wife  and  foclifli  virgins,  a  field 
of  wheat  and  tares,  a  net  repIeniQied  with  good  and  bacJ 
fifties,  &c. 

D  d 


$i8  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF   GOD. 

But  as  the  kingoom  of  faving  chrifliianity,  including  the 
goods  of  itj  its  coil {lituitiv'eeflence  is,  "  Truth,  righteoufnefs, 
peace,  and  joy,  in  or  by  the  Holy  Ghoft  :"  Rom.  xiv.  -y.  And 
15  compared  to  treafure  hid  in  a  field,  to  a  goodly  pearl,  &c. 
liie  polTeffors  of  it  are  the  poor  in  fpirit,  like  to  little  children  : 
under  this  notion  Chrift  tells  a  fcribe  he  was  not  far  from  it, 
enjoins  all  to  feck  it,  and  its  righteoufnefs  fiift,  and  recommends 
a  holy  violence  in  taking  it. 

Sometime^  the  chriflian  church  as  vifibie,  and  faving  fanfti- 
IV,  are  both  included  in  the  kingdom  of  Gcd  ;  and  in  this  ref- 
pefl.  it  is  compared  to  a  grain  of  muftard  feed,  and  to  leaven  ; 
Matt.  xiii.  31.  32.  the  Scribes  and  Pharifees  fhut  it  up  ; 
Chrift  gave  the  keys  of  it  to  his  Apollles.  Matt,  xxiii.  13. 
and  xvi.  19.  John  iii.  5.  Matt,  xviii.  23.  In  this  fcnfe 
Chrid  threatens  to  take  it  from  the  Jews,  Paul  preached  it  and 
teflined  it.  As  ercf^ed  by  fupernatural  means,  it  is  adminifter- 
ed  not  in  word  but  in  power.  I.  C  or.  iv.  20.  It  is  a  vaftly 
great  polity,  comprehending  tliC  catholic  churth  in  heaven  and 
eartli.  In  creating  it  by  Chrift,  God  is  the  founder  of  a  mighty 
empire,  an  ornamental  lydtm,  a  divine  city. 

A  city  is  not  a  rude  multitude,  or  herd  of  people,  but  a 
body  politic  like  the  body  natural,  which  hath  the  Jigurt  and. 
beauty  of  a  man.  iiai.  xliv.  13.  It  is  built  and  united  into 
one  uhole  by  a  fettlemeiit  of  rights,  and  a  fixed  conftitution, 
determining  who  Ihall  reign  and  who  be  lubjeft,  &c.  without 
which  there  can  be  no  jiiftice  or  governtnent.  The  church 
cor.ftitutcs  tliis  kingdom  perfonally,  znd  is  conftitutcd  by  it. 
coiifidcied  really,  i.  e.  by  the  grace  and  faultily  of  it.  Th« 
descriptive  maiks  of  it  are  luch  ss  thcfe  following. 

1.  it  is  new,  not  old,  founded  by  the  new,  and  not  the  fit  ft 
cu:uticn  of  Gcd  treated  of  Chap.  2.  it  is  alfo  mediatorial,  not 
original. 

Thcfe  chara^tcis  of  it  arc  of  fiiiguUr  note,  for  in  the  firftnnd 


OF  THE   KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  str, 

original  kingdom  of  God  there  was  rrj  Trinity,  no  Mediator,  or 
official  Rene^ver  and  San61ifier.  All  Tllued  frcn  G  d  as  mere 
creator,  and  he  was  all  in  all  in  the  government  :  no  fin  exifled, 
all  were  of  one  whole,  all  were  holy  and  hs  .pv.  A  Mediator 
is  not  of  one,  and  to  fuppofe  rationais  created  at  firft,  fo  as  to 
need  an  inter-agcnt  betv/een  their  makerand  them,  is  not  reafon- 
able.  The  holy  moral  law  was  the  conftitution  of  that  king- 
dom, a  covenant  of  life,  fubiifting  between  Gad  and  his  holy 
fubje6ls.  All  had  domiciiium  in  urbe,  a  m.infion  in  the  city, 
no  prodigal  had  left  his  Father's  houle,  or  Iheep  flrayed  from 
the  fold  of  the  Supreme  Shepherd.  God  created  none  lod  lo 
as  to  need  a  Saviour,  The  adminiftration  was  without  fove- 
reign  grace,  according  to  legal  juflice,  and  the  law  continued 
life  to  the  unlapfed,  while  obeyed.  Devils  were  of  this  orig- 
inal kingdom  before  they  finned,  and  left  their  own  habitation  ; 
Then  they  had  not  left  their  firfi:  eftate,  nor  were  the  heavens 
unclean  in  God's  fight,  nor  thefe  angels  charged  with  folly. 
Human'fpirits  were  alfo  fubjects  of  that  kingdom,  and  lipfed 
from  it,  as  appears  from  their  coming  into  this  world  hiV,  and 
needing  renovation  and  reftoration  to  whit  had  been.  This 
was  the  ftate  of  Adam  in  natural  innoccncy,  as  needing  the 
tree  of  life,  a  type  of  Chrift,  and  this  is  now  the  ftate  of  all 
bis  natural  defcendants  as  foon  as  born  into  our  woild.  The 
original  kingdom  of  God  being  thus  divided,  there  was  an  ab- 
folute  necelTity  of  a  new  Creation  and  conflitution  of  it,  if 
any  rebels  or  revolter*  were  reftored,  for  there  was  no  la-.v  that 
could  give  the  tranfgrcffor  life.  In  thiL  kingdom  all  were 
native  faints  and  no  provifion  was  made  k^v  faints f active  of  fin- 
ners.  But  the  prefent  kingdom  of  heaven  is  the  conilitution 
©fall  things  conftitiiitively  made  new,  and  the  (landing  of  all 
in  It  is  of  faints/flr7/:"?,'for  even  holy  angels  are  analogicidly 
reconciled,  and  created  by  Chrifl  as  thrones,  dominions,  princi- 
|»alities  and  powers,  which  are  offires  and  officers,  in  ihs  prrf- 


■229  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

cnt,  not  the  original  kingdom  of  God.  This  kingdom  that 
now  is,  upon  the  original  lapfe,  was  foreordained  to  come  in 
Chrift,  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  this  world  and  aU 
things  in  and  of  it,  were  created  to  bring  this  foreord  ination  to 
pafs.  ,  And  all  the  fpiritual  and  eternal  concerns  of  men  ever 
{met  the  world  was  made,  have  been  adminiftered  by  God, 
with  reference  to  this  kingdom,  and  according  to  the  conftitu- 
tion  and  law  of  it,  as  thereafter  to  be  completely  eftabliihed 
when  the  kingdom  fhould  come.  The  law  of  grace  virtually 
cxifted  from  the  beginning  of  our  world,  but  the  kingdom  it- 
feif  was  not  creatively  made  until  the  refurrcflion  of  Chrift. 
In  the  New  Teflament  in  Chrid's  blood,  a  new  fettleraent  of 
things  is  made,  including  angels  as  well  as  men.  And  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  become  new  in  its  JoMndation,  foveriigntyy 
(on/litutiorii  adminiJlration,fubjeHs,  and  all  that  belongs  to  it, 
and  will  fo  continue  until  Chrift  fhall  deliver  up  the  kingdom 
to  him  from  whom  he  received  it,  and  all  things  revert  to  their 
original  ftate.  Chriflianity,  by  which  God's  kingdom  is  now 
founded,  is  to  angels  religiQ  conjirmans,  a  confirming  religion^ 
and  new  to  both.  "  Chrift  died,  faith  Fulgentius,  to  confirm 
angels  that  they  might  not  fin,  and  to  reftore  m.en  who  had 
finned."  The  gofpel  kingdom  is  properly  a  middle  kingdom, 
between  the  original  and  final  kingdom  of  God  all  in  all. 

2.  This  kingdom  of  God,  Chrift  and  Heaven,  ftands  dif- 
tinguifhed  from  all  kingdoms  of  Qod  fo  called,  and  in  partic- 
ular from  the  Jewifh  theocracy. 

God  never  had  any  other  kingdom  but  this  fince  this  world 
was  created.  The  world  itfelf  was  made,  and  all  the  econo- 
mies of  nature  and  providence,  and  every  dilpenfation  of  religion 
antecedent  to  the  eftablifhment  of  chriftianity,  were  fubordinate 
to  this  kingdom  of  heaven.  The  Mofaic  Creation  did  not 
i'ound  the  kingdom  of  God  either  as  original  or  mediatorial, 
but  was   fubfequent  to   the    former^   and   introduQcry    to  thp 


OP  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  asi 

JUtter.  Adam's  (landing  in  paradlfe  was  not  in  or  of  it,  for  he 
was  only  a  natural  man,  not  having  the  fpirlt,  confifliiig  of 
ilefh  and  blood,  which  do  uot  ii.herit  the  kingdom  of  God, 
All  the  fubjefts  of  this  kingdom  are  born  into  it  of  the  Ipirit, 
and  what  is  born  of  the  fpirit,  is  fpirit. 

And  as  to  the  Jewifh  theocracy,  it  was  of  this  world,  not  of 
heaven,  as  its  worldly  fanftuary  Hicvs,  Hcb.  ix.  i.  and  only  a 
figure  of  tiiis  heavenly  polity  and  government.  Solomon 
indeed  is  faid  to  fit  upon  the  throne  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Lord  over  Ifrael  :  I.  Chron.  xxviii.  5.  and  God  is  called  their 
King,  and  Jerufalem  the  city  of  the  great  King,  Zepft.  iii.  15, 
Matt.  v.  15.  and  the  Jews  ftiil  pray  "  Let  thy  kingdom  reign 
over  us  forever."  God  did  once  reign  over  them  in  a  peculiar 
manner,  and  they  v.-ere  in  covenant  with  him,  as  a  people  with 
their  king.  He  made  their  laws,  governed  them  by  his  min- 
ifiers,  received  their  tribute,  fought  their  battles,  dwelt  among 
them,  walked  in  their  camp,  and  they  are  called  a  kingdom  of 
priefts,  that  is  a  facerdolal  polity  of  regial  quality.  Exod.  xix,  6, 
But  all  this  did  not  conflituie  them  the  kir.gdom  of  God 
in  the  gofpel  fenfe.  Canaan  was  not  heaven  :  they  were  only 
a  commonwealth  until  Saul  came  to  reign.  God  is  now  as 
really  King  of  nations  as  he  was  of  them.  Their  kingdom, 
religion  and  national  church,  were  of  this  world,  not  of  heaven, 
only  typically.  Whatever  of  ipiritual  and  heavenly  bleflings 
were  derived  to  the  Jews,  they  came  not  by  the  law,  but  ihc 
p/omife  relating  to  the  gofpel  kingdom,  to  which  the  law  wa<; 
added  to  ferve  civil,  national,  and  worldly  purpofos.  Their  , 
rnational  church  was  only  typical  of  the  chriflian  church,  as 
was  alfo  their  covenant.  The  n-:  .v  covenant  was  not  made, 
until  the  blood  of  Chrifl;  was  (Va-*!.  If  the  covcnnnt  of  cir- 
cumcifion  had  been  the  covenant  of  grace,  the  Iccond  covenant 
would  have  been  more  than  four  hundred  years  prior  to  the 
ferflj  for  the  firft  was  m^de  at  Sinai,      The  root  ?.nd   f^vtriefs  of 


2iS2  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

the  olive  tt^e.  Gentiles  partake  of  by  engrafting  into  the  church 
with  the  Jews,  relates  not  to  their  national  church,  founded 
en  tlie  covenant  of  circumcifion,  but  to  the  church  of  Ipiritual 
Jews  founded  on  the  belief  of  that  abfoiute  pr<'mi(e  made  to 
Abraham  before  he  was  circumciied.  Rom.  iv,  lo.  As  all 
facrificcrs  in  faith  before  the  law  wore  J-ws  without  the  name  : 
fo  all  believers  in  the  promife  before  Chrift  came,  were  chrif- 
tians  without  the  name.  The  kingdom  of  God  therefore  over 
Ifracl,  was  only  a  typical,  {hadowy,and  worldly  reprelentation 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  Chnft,  and  Heaven,  of  which  the 
Chriftian  Trinity  are  the  perfonal  fovereignty.  There  was 
no  triune  adralniflration  of  the  Jewifh  government,  no  infpired 
or  uninfpired  Jews  were  Trinitarians.  They  had  no  Mediator 
between  God  and  them  but  Mofcs  a  fervant.  The  law  was 
by  thedilpoiition  of  angels  :  God  biid  not  then  fpoken  by  his 
Son,  to  men  :  nor  vv'erc  there  any  appearances  in  old  teftamcnt 
times,  of  Him,  who  was  then  to  come. 

3.  The    kingdom    of  God,    and  of  Chrift,  is  diftinguifhcd 
from,  and  independent  of  all  human  worldly  kingdoms. 

It's  names  import  it  to  be  divine,  chriflian,  and  heavenly  in 
ilsorigin,  fovereignty,  conftitution,  laws,  and  fubje6ls.  Chrift 
who  was  the  Lord  from  heaven  faith,  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
rhis  world."  John  xviii  26.  Worldly  kingdoms  have  anoth- 
er origin.  Dan.  vii.  3.  There  is  nothing  in  this  kingdom  t© 
feed  men's  v.-orldly  ambition  :  the  refined  arts  of  humam 
policy,  which  thiive  in  other  kingdoms,  are  cramped  in  this. 
The  world  hate^  God,  Chrift  ?nc!  chriflians,  becaufs  not  of  it 
and  because  they  teftify  of  the  world  that  its  deeds  are  evil.  Go-l 
and  Chrift  are  not  of  the  worll's  choice  or  liking.  To  b' 
in  and  of  this  world  is  to  re  without  God,  and  without  Chrifl 
and  the'r  kingdom.  V/orld'y  ]slngdon)S  ite  civil  politicalj  c\ 
at  bef>  avil  rfl{<;ious,  pol  fics  :  but  this  is  /piritual  reltgioia 
They  are  claimed  by  world-y  dcfcent,   by    conqucft   with  car« 


OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  22.^ 

na!    weapons,   or  the   elcdion   of  worldly   men,     and   refpcQ: 
worldly    and     bodily     mothers,    and     even     the    religion    of 
worldly   kingdoms,  is  of  this  world.      Every  national  church, 
the   Jevvifh    not    excepted,    is    of  this    world.        This    king- 
dom   is    entered   by    a   heavenly    birth,    gained   by    a    rpintusl 
warfare,     and    its    rights   and    privileges    accrue   by  a    divine 
creation.      The  kingdoms    of    this    world    are    mairitaincd     by 
wealth,  governed    by  worldly  policy  and   maxims  not  aUvaya 
juft,  defended   by    ftrength  of  armies,  and   their  nobles  '•  glarct 
in  gems  and   fhine  in  gold."      But  in  this    kingdom  all  is  the; 
reverie.      The   highefh   office  'in  it,   which    is   of   a    blQiop  or 
prefbyter,  is  a  vvoik,  or  labor,  the  fubjcfls  are  volunteers  called 
out  of  the  world,  their  enemies,  graces,  ornaments,  are  h(!3veniy 
or  fpiritual.      It  is  the  kingdom   of    the  crofs,    founded   on  it, 
and  erefted  by  the  preaching  of  it.      And  it  is  independent  of 
all   worldly  kingdoms  ;   no  human  king  or  magiftrate,  as  fuch, 
hath  the  leaft  authority  in  it.      Chrifl's  miviiQers,  as  fuch.  might 
juft  as  well  exercile  jurirdi6lion  in  the  kingdoms  of  men.      A 
king,  if  of  the  church,   is  as  much  fubje£l  to  the  difcipline  of 
the  church,  according  to  the  laws    of  Chrift  the  prince  of  the 
kings  of  the  eirth,    as  liit-  meanefl:  brother.      And   the  higheft 
ecclefiaftic  is  equally  ame.iable  to  jufl  civil   authority,   as  any 
other  man.      Tiiere  are  no  fpiritual  tor  ds  \n  Chriil's    kingdom 
but  himfelf  :    no  lords  bijiiops,  or  hrds  prcfaytcrs,  or    high   and 
mighty  lords,  brethren.      How  little  hath  the  n-ture  of  Chrifl's 
kingdom  been    known,   and  bow  different    hath  been   the  pre- 
vailing fpirit  among  thofe  c.illed    by    his  name,  from  what   it 
ought  to  have  been  ?    It  hath  in  a  degree  been  made  a  worldly 
polity,  ever  fince  the  days   of   Conflantinc  ;    and   the  chriflian 
religion  hath  by  fome    bren    made  an   engine  of    ftdte,  and  its 
iacraments  civil  teRs.      Men  have  been  urrig(.oncd  into  religion, 
or  to  a  compliance    vviih    fhupid  edicts    of    pa{Ti"c  obediences, 
d  not  refiflancc    to   the  violators   of   the  rights  of  man,  v.^A 


?,\)' 


524  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

the  chriftian,  hath  been  opprefTcd  with  power.  peiTecutioilj 
and  a  barbarous  inquifition.  The  Luciferian  pride  of  eccleii* 
allies,  not  of  Chrift's  making,  hath  been  unbounded  ;  fuch  as 
Patriarchs,  Metropolitans,  Archbifhops,  Diocefan  Billiops,  as 
an  order  above  Preloyters,  &c.  all  creatures  of  this  world. 
The  Patriarch  of  Alexandria  /Uies  himfelf  *' Judge  of  the 
world.'*  And  the  dignity  of  bifnop,  is  by  Pvoman  author?} 
made  equal  or  fupsrior  to  the  imperial. 

Eufebia,  the  Emprefs,  lent  for  Leontius  the  biOiop  of  Tri- 
poli to  come  to  her.  He  made  aniwer,  that  if  he  came,  th® 
reverence  due  to  bifhops  mud  be  preferved.  *'  When  I  enter 
you  mud  ccine  down  from  your  fubiinie  throne,  and  reverently 
tome  to  meet  me,  and  put  your  head  under  my  hands  to  re- 
ceive my  benedidicn  ;  then  1  mufl  ht,  and  you  modeftly  ftandj 
until  by  a  fign  I  give  you  leave  to  fit.  If  you  like  thefe  con- 
ditions, I  will  come,  if- not,  you  can  do  nothing  for  m.e  tha{>^ 
will  compcnfate  for  the  negletl  of  the  honor  due  to  bifhops, 
end  the  violation  of  the  divine  inQitutes  of  the  priedhood.'* 

Contrad  this  with  the  temper  and  conduct  of  the  meek  and 
lowly  Jefus,  and  of  his  Apodles  :  how  ftriking  the  difference  I 
By  fuch  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  Chrid's  kingdom,  biniops 
became  proud,  and  princes  tame  to  bear  any  burdens  fubmsffivc 
as  affes,  to  have  their  necks  trod  upon,  and  to  kifs  the  toe  of 
the  foot  that  honored  them  with  its  preffure.  Their  tyran- 
nical dominaiions,  puily  grandeur,  worldly  pomp,  outrageous 
contentions  for  preeminence,  bloody  difputes  at  their  elections^ 
furious  perfccutions,  lordly  ufurpations  over  prefbyters,  their 
equals,  depriving  them  of  the  power  of  ordinuion  and  govern- 
ment, fill  ecclcftadical  hifi-ory,  and  the  half  is  not  written^ 
Sec  the  canons  of  the  councils  of  Nice,  Chalcedon,  &c.  for 
the  exaltation  of  Metropolitans,  Patriarchs,  and  Bifhops,  fome 
of  whom  couM  not  write  their  names,  but  figned  by  others,  or 
made  their  ranrks.      Fit  perCons  for  us  to  take  our  creeds  frum- 


OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  22^ 

What  furious  kafis  were  the  monks,  and  others  at  Alexandria, 
who  murdered  that  excellent  mathematician,  llypatia,  the 
daughter  of  Theon,  tore  her  in  pieces  and  burnt  her  members  ! 
and  who  alfo  killed  Protcrius,  the  bifhop,  drew  his  body,  torn 
to  pieces,  through  the  city,  then  burnt  it,  and  thrcv/  the  alhcs 
into  the  air,  a  fit  lacrifice  for  infernals  to  make  to  their  God, 
the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air  !  Ignorance  of  the  nature 
of  Chrift's  kingdom  ftill  continues,  though  not  to  the  produc- 
tion of  fuch  tragical  efFefts.  For  becaufe  Chrift's  kingdom  is  not 
of  this  woi.ld,  the  kingdoms  cf  the  world  have  fet  themfelves 
ajgainft  his  fubjefls,  to  deprive  them  of  natural  and  civil  rights 
inerely  upon  that  account,  witnefs  the  conflitutions  and  laws  oi 
fome  fiates  to  deprive  the  miniflers  of  Chrifb  of  any  civil  rights, 
4.  This  kingdom  {lands  direclly  oppofeJ  to  Satan's  worldly 
kingdom.  The  devil  hath  had  a  kingdom,  in  the  world  even 
from  the  beginning  of  it,  and  it  is  likely  even  from  before  its 
prefent  adornation,  and  as  he  aimed  to  be,  fo  he  is  the  god  of 
it.  His  kingdom  of  this  world  comprehends  all  without  the 
church,  and  kingdom  of  God.  To  the  one,  or  the  other  of 
thefe  allrationals  belong.  To  oppofc  this  kingdom,  Chrifl's 
kingdom  was  erefted,  and  to  cledroy  his  works  the  Son  of  God 
was  manifefted.  The  fcience  of  fan^lity  cannot  be  well  unoer- 
ftood  without  fome  knowledge  of  faian's  worldly  kingdom. 
By  their  firfl  birth  men  are  in,  and  of  it,  and  by  a  new  birih, 
they  pafs  from  under  the  power  of  darkneis,  and  enter  the 
kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son.  The  chara£leriRics  of  Satan's 
kingdom  are  darknef?,  falfhood,  and  wickednefs.  But  as  it 
had  a  beginning  it  mufl  have  an  end  :  God  will  not  falTcr  aa 
eternal  blemifh  in  his  works  :  Chrift  will  reign  until  every 
oppofing  power  is  fubdued.  and  every  en^my  deflroyed,  tbs 
lafl  enemy  is  death,  confsqucntiil  to  the  deflruflion  of  him 
that  hath  the  power  of  death,  that  is  the  devil.  I'.  Cor.  y.v. 
26,  Hcb.  ii,  14. 

K  f 


226  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD, 

5.  The  pofitive  chara6lers  of  this  kingdom,  defcriptive  of 
hs  ruturc,  though  verj'  many,  are  eafily  deducible  from  its 
names,  and  frcrxi  what  hath  been  alraady  written  of  it. 

As  God's  kingdom  it  is  divine,  as  Chrift'sit  is  chriftian,  and 
tinder  both  names,  it  is  holy,  fpiritual  and  heavenly,  in  its  fu- 
preme,  and  mediatorial  head,  and  in  its  fubjefts,  goods,  promifes, 
graces  and  privileges.  The  kingdom  of  the  regenerate  or  new 
cieated  by  Chrid,  or  the  city  of  regeneration,  as  St.  Auguftinc 
calls  it.  It  is  peopled  by  a  generation  from  above.  Being 
new  and  divine  it  is  the  churca  oi iht  Jirfi  borti^  which  denotes 
it's  dignity  and  nobility.  Heb.  xii.  22.  Even  angels  have  the 
thing  which  regeneration  is,  a  birth  of  God  without  our  mode, 
by  being  reborn.  It  is  a  kingdom  of  grace,  truth,  love,  right- 
eoufnefs.  peace,  joy,  &c. 

6.  The  church  militant  on  earth,  which  is  an  eflential  part 
of  this  kingdom,  is  like  to  the  chara£terof  the  holy  fcriptures, 
holy  popular. 

By  nature  all  men  nre  one  people,  God's  offspring,  of  one 
flefh  and  blood,  poffefled  of  equal  rights.  Thefe  are  canton- 
ized  into  families,  tribes,  nations,  and  empires.  The  people's 
fafety  and  happinefs  is  the  public  good.  A  people  are  com- 
bined together  by  a  common  law  or  by  common  utility  and 
intereft.      "  Where  there  is  no'  law.  juftice,  or    right,  there  is 


no 


peop 


le.' 


In  fcripture,  people,  is  ufed  in  a  magnifying  fenfe  for  a  polity, 
•'  Ephrairn  fliall  be  broken  that  he  be  not  a  people.**  The 
Jews  are  now  no  people.  Sometimes  people  fignify  an  eccle- 
fiaftical  pc^pulaf  community.  Rom.  x.  19.    I.  Pet.  ii,  io. 

The  people  were  held  in  abhorrence  by  the  philofophers. 
But  in  all  the  important  concerns  of  mankind,  the  people  have 
the  grcatcO:  intereft  as  being  the  many.  The  welfare  of  the 
people  demands  the  grcatcft  attention.  The  people  are  capa- 
ble   of   the  greateft   and  beft   things  :  God   and  Chrifl  have 


or  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  227 

aianlfefted  the  greateft  love  for  them.  Bifliop  Taylor  remarks 
"  That  good  women  of  the  common  fort"  were  favored  with 
the  firft  fight  of  our  raifed  Savior.  The  dignity  of  the  people's 
nature,  their  relation  to  God,  cognation  to  all,  equality  to  any, 
their  ufefulnefs  to  the  higheft,  fhew  their  importance  and  worth, 
Chrift  makes  no  difference  between  the  fouls  of  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  higheft  and  loweft,  nor  fhould  his  minifters.  The 
meaneft  if  born  of  God  are  ennobled.  God's  people  arc  holy  and 
peculiar,  I.  Pet.  ii.  9.  The  popreft  have  equal  rights  in  God's 
kingdom  with  a  king  on  his  throne.  The  greateft  potentate, 
being  ->  chriftian,  is  no  more  than  a  private  brother  in  the 
church.  All  are  the  people  as  to  Chrift.  Now  that  this 
kingdom  is  popular  in  the  above  fenfe,  appears  from  the  char- 
after  of  the  holy  fcriptarcs,  which  is  the  people's  book  qf  religion, 
written  for  them,  and  is  of  univerfal  concernment.  It  is  the 
life  of  every  foul.  Human  (v->ciety  cannot  exift  without  fomc 
kind  0/ religion.  Religion  is  the  proper  indifpen fable ^/?!^^^', 
0Z071  zoork,  and  bufmefs  of  every  man.  The  gofpel  invites  all 
the  people,  Chrift  died  for  all  alike.  It  is  read  by  the  people 
as  the  laxo  of  their  life.  Its  motives  are  accommodated  to  their 
natural  love  of  life,  and  according  to  their  heart's  defirc  it 
brings  them  life. 

This  kingdom  is  popular  as  oppofed  to  aofolute  fovercignty^ 
that  is  the  defpotic,  arbitrary  will  of  another.' without  a  charter 
affrights.  The  government  of  God  and  Chrift  is  not  arbitrary, 
tyrannical,  but  juft  and  happy  :  that  of  a  father  over  chil- 
«lren,  a  fhcpherd  oyer  his  fheep,  a  hufband  over  his  fpoufc,  and 
is  full  of  manfuetude  and  gracioufncfs.  There  is  a  covenant  to 
the  people^  a.  charter  of  their  immunities  and  liberties  :  and 
thev  are  treated  as  freemen,  not  as  flaves.  As  in  other  free 
ftates,  fo  in  this,  the  people  choofe  God  and  Chrift  to  be  their 
God  and  Savior,  and  their  officers  under  them,  and  are  a 
willing  covenant  people.      God's  decrees  are  edifts  publiftied. 


22S  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

.'-  « 

rio  fccret  purpofes,  and  are  terminated  upon  no  fpecificd  char- 
adters.     Ungodly  men  are  ordained  to  condemnation  :   fanfti&cd 
believers  are  chofen  to  eternal  life.     Where  people  are  diftin- 
guiflicd  from  their   paPiors,  they  are  confidered   as   the  Lord's 
people,  and  may  not  be  lorded  over  as  to  their  faith   by  min- 
iftcrs,  nor  may  they  lord  it  over  minifters*  faith.     They  may 
choofe  their  ofHcers  in   this  kingdom,  as  was  done  in  the  free 
ftates  of  Greece,  by  lifting  up    their  hands^  in  the  choice  of 
their  magiftrates.     The    churchy     x\\q  brethren,  i\iG  faithful,  z.x^ 
names  for  the  people.     The  people  ekCl,  but  do  not  inviji  in 
omce,  or  convey  the  authority,  that  comes  from  Chrift  the/ole 
Head  by  his  ordinance  :  and  the  ordainers  under  Chrift  cannot 
limit  or  reAricl  the  authority,  nor  extend  it  farther  than  Chrift's 
law  doih.      Nor  can  the  ordained  ftipulatc  for  lefs  power  than 
Chrift    hath  given  :    it    is   a  nullity.      The   paftor    executes 
Chrift's  laws  with  the  brethren's  confent.     As  men  with  their 
magiftratcs  make  one  civil  people,  fo  the  fraternity   with  their 
paftors   make  one    ecclffiajlical  people,      St.  Augufline  calls  the 
flock  cf  Chrift,  confifting  of  minifters,    deacons,  and  brethren 
in  particular,  a  holy   popular  commontuealth.      A  kingdom  is  a 
bcdy   of  people  profeffing  fubjeftion  to  one  fovereign   Head, 
fo  is  the  church   with  refpeft  to  Chrift  the  one   Lord.      And 
as  civil  kingdoms  confift  of  leffer  particular  fyftems,  or  corpo- 
rations, fo  doth    the    church    catholic    •  confift    of   particular 
churches    corapofed  of  paftors   and  their  flocks.     But    in   the 
Church  there  is  no  one   common,  human   authority    over  the 
whole,  making  it  one  viftble    corporation,    nor   over  a  part  as 
in  a  nation  or  ftate.      Rulers  in  one  church    have  no  authori- 
ty in    another.      The  power  o  f  oecumenical  councils,  national 
fynods,  provincial  prefbyteries,  county  consociations,  is   really 
none  at  all.     Thefe  are  human  inventions,  and  as  to  any  juril- 
di£lion  which  they  have  it  is  ufurped. 

The  name  of  a  city  given   to  the   church,    Qiews  it  to  be 


OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD.  S25 

popular.  For  a  city  is  a  fettled  polity  by  an  a£l  of  incorpara- 
tion,  which  is  its  creation  as  a  city.  All  citizens  are  enrolled 
freemen,  have  equal  right  to  «left,  or  be  elefted,  if  qualified, 
into  office,  to  give  their  confent  to  the  admiflTion  of  members, 
and  in  cafe  of  delinquency,  to  be  judged  by  their  peers  accord- 
ing to  law.  And  thus  it  is  in  the  church,  city,  or  kingdom 
of  God,  Other  focieties.  may  and  ought  to  be  religious,  but 
this  only  is  made  a  politic  foclety  by  religion.  The  pact 
between  God,  Chrift,  and  their  people,  is  the  holy  new  covenant^ 
and  all  in  covenant  are  in  ftate,  and  by  profefiion  holy. 

The  name  ecckjia^  church,  as  well  as  cily^  hath  fomething 
popular  in  it,  for  it  doth  not  fignify  an  aflcmbly  of  chief 
men,  as  z  fenate^  but  a  number  of  all  forts,  believing  in  the 
common  Savior,  none  of  whom  are  excluded  from  it,  by  tlic 
lovvnefs  of  tbeir  condition,  li  pride  was  lawful,  the  meaneft 
member  of  Chrifl's  church  might  fo  be  proud  of  his  full 
equality  as  a  brother  to  the  greateft  potentate  on  earth,  and  of 
his  fuperiority  to  any  who  are  not  brethren  in  Chrift.  But 
in  the  church  of  Chrift  they  rife  by  humility. 

The  church  of  Chrift  is  not  conftituted  after  the  model  of 
the  temple  Hierarchy,  but  correfpondent  to  the  civil  polity  of 
the  Jews.  It  hath  the  name  of  the  twelve  tribes,  Rev.  vii, 
was  founded  by  twelve  apoftles,  who  anfwer  to  the  twelve 
patriarchs,  and  twelve  princes  of  ihe  tribes,  I.  Chron.  xxviil.  1, 
who  were  next  in  dignity  to  the  king,  and  fat  about  the  throne 
in  twelve  chairs.  But  they  did  not  as  a  common  authority 
govern  the  twelve  tribes,  but  each  Prince  his  own  tribe. 
Chrift  did  not  fet  the  apoftles,  or  their  fucceffors,  over  the 
church  to  govern  it  by  their  joint  authority,  but  each  kept 
in  his  own  line,  as  each  Prince  did  in  his  own  circuit.  Each 
city  had  its  fenatc,  and  the  Apoftles  ordan:ied  elders  in  every 
city  to  guide  and  rule  the  church  in  it. 

As  judges  and  rulers  were  made  by  the  impofitlon  of  hands, 
fo  are  prefbyters,  who  are  gofpel  bifhops.  I.  Tim.  iv.  14.  T'iul 


»^i^  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD. 

the  government  of  the  church  is  holy  popular,  like  to  that  of 
old  Ifrael  its  type  :  yet  with  this  difference,  they  being  of  one 
liation,  dwelling  in  the  fame  land,  had  a  fuprerae  court  of 
feventy  elders  to  appeal  to,  but  not  fo  the  church  which  was  to 
fpread  over  all  nations.  Chrift  chofe  feventy  difciples  and  fent 
them  among  the  jfcws^  and  then  laid  them  afidcj  and  never 
made  a  common  authority  over  all  chriftians,  as  the  feventy 
were  over  the  Jews,  Epifcopalian  lordjhip^  and  Prejhyterian 
arijiocracy,  have  no  foundation  in  fcripture. 

God's  kingdom  and  church  hath  alfo  the  name  of  a  houfc 
and  family,  which  denotes  it  to  be  popular.  Chriftians  of 
aliens  and  foreigners  are  made  fellow-citizens  of  the  faints  and 
of  the  houfehold  ef  God. 

^.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  but  one,  though  of  great  extents 

The  chriftian  Trinity  is  one  undivided  fovereignty,  with 
oncnamey  faith  or  religion.  Angels  and  human  faints  make 
but  one  family,  houfehold,  city,  holy  polity  of  faints,  Eph.  iii, 
i5.andii.  9.  Eph.  i.  10.  Rev.  xv.  3.  Heb.  xii.  22,  There 
may  be  a  circumftantial  difference  between  things  in  earth  and 
things  in  heaven  ;  yet  angels  are  of  the  iame  religion  that 
chriftians  are^  and  worfhip  Chrift  fince  his  refurreftion.  He 
is  the  head  of  both  and  they  are  complete  in  him.  As  a 
kingdom  is  no  inferior  polity,  fo  this  is  of  great  amplitude. 
There  are  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,  who  as  much 
exceed  devils  in  number,  as  the  loyal  fubjeds  of  a  well  gov- 
erned kingdom  exceed  the  malefaftors  in  its  prifons.  The 
holy  writers  pretend  not  to  define  their  numbers  when  they 
call  them  kgionsy  ihoufands  of  thoufandsy  ten  thou/and  times  ten 
thoufands,  and  myriads. 

St.  Auguftine  fuppofes  there  are  ten  thoufand  myriads  of 
angels  above  ten  hundred  thoufand  of  arch  angels,  thrones  alfo, 
and  dominions,  principalities,  and  powers  without  number. 
And  as  to  the  human  fubjcBs  of  it,  they  have  been  many,  and 
v;ill  be  more  before  the   tiroes  of  the  rcftilution   of  all  things. 


OF  REGENERATION.  831 

At  th«  end  this  kingdom  fhall  be  emptied  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  all  in  all  :  and  there  will  be  no  oppofue  kingdom  to  God 
•lone.     Such  is  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  of  his  Chrift. 

There  is  one  obvious  inference  from  the  prcmifes,  <viz. 
That  the  firft  chriftian  duty  is  to  become  fubjcfts  of  this  king- 
dqm  of  God. 

As  in  human  kingdoms  men  arc  made  fubjefts  in  flate  and 
relation,  and  then  become  bound  to  obferve  the  laws  of  the 
polity  :  forfo  prince  and  people  firft  confederate,  and  then  do 
the  duties  of  their  relation  :  fo  we  take  God  for  our  God, 
Chrift  for  our  Savior,  enter  their  kingdom,  and  then  obferve 
the  laws  of  it.  "  As  yc  have  received  Chrift  Jefus  the  Lord 
fo  walk  ye  in  him,**  Colof»  ii.  6.  *'  All  the  ten  command- 
ments, faith  Luther,  are  radically  contained  in  the  firft,  in  taking 
God  for  our  God.*'  In  refpefl  of  the  benefit  and  duty  of 
Cbriftians,  "  Baptifm  is  to  me,  faith  Bafil,  the  beginning  of 
life."  The  kingdom  of  God,  confidered  as  the  kingdom  of 
faving  Chriftianiiy,  is  propofed  to  our  acceptance  and  purchafe  : 
and  ought  to  be  fought  for  firft,  and  even  to  be  taken  v/iih  a 
holy  violence.  And  three  is  good  reafon  for  our  utmoft  exer- 
tion upon  account  of  the  worth  of  its  goods,  which  no  time 
can  bound,  cogitation  faihom,  arithmetic  compute,  or  words 
come  up  to  the  dimenfions  of  them. 


CHAP.   XL 


OF     REGENERATION. 


Tht  zoay  oj  enisring  the  kingdom  of  God  by  ngcncratiov.    -'"  ''  ■''- 
and  nature^  defcribed, 

THE  founder  of  this  kingdom  dtfclarcs  that  •''  Ekc^pI  any 
one  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  fpirit,  he  cannot  enter  inlo 
the  kingdom    of  God."  John  iii."  5»     -^"«^  f^"''  ^^    parallel  to 


l^<  OF  REGEJ^EJlATIOlf , 

thofe  words,  "  According  to  his  nicrcy  he  favcd  us,  by  th« 
tvafhing  of  regeneration^.  Sind  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghoft." 
Tit.  iii.  5.  It  is  obvious  to  remark  that  men  tre  nbt^  natively 
or  by  their  fi'rft  birth  in  and  of  this  kingdom :  for  then  another 
birth  to  eriter  it  would  be  unnecefTary  :  and  alfo  that  God 
r.ever  created  rationals  aliens  from  his  kingdom,  for  that  would 
have  been  in  effeft  to  make  them  fubjefts  of  Satan V  kingdom. 
Adam's  (landing  in  paradife  vi'as  not  in  this  kingdom,  being 
only  a  natural  earthy  man. 

The  Moiaic  creation  founded  ho  kingdom  of  God  and  heaven. 
All  rationals  have  been'  proved  before,  to  have  been  originally 
of  God's  kingdom,  and  that  men  arc  now  natively  without  it, 
snd  are  candidates  for  redu£^ion  into  it,  but  not  for  reftora- 
tion  to  any  thing  poiTefTed  by  the  flrfl:  Adam  :  He  needed 
regeneration  into  the  kingdom  of  God  as  much  as  we  now  do, 
and  neither  he  nor  any  of  his  defcendants  could  enter  this  divine 
kingdom,  either  by  a  birth  of  bloody  or  being  born  of  the  will  of 
thcfiefi^QV  oi  the  zoill  of  man,  John  i.  13.  A  natural  birth 
cannot  enter  any  into  a  fpiritual  kingdom,  llefh  and  blood 
though  innocent  could  not  enter  it,  I.  Cor.  xv.  50.  much 
lefs  can  a  birth  of  finful  flefi .  Eph.  ii.  3.  ^  And  if  Adam  had 
never  departed  from  innocence,  a  birth  vf  the  zoill  of  man ^ 
could  not  have  entered  his  defcendants  Into  this  divine  and 
heavenly  kingdom.  When  Solomon  faith,  God  hath  made 
•  man  upright,  it  doth  not  imply  holinefs,  or  divine  animation, 
but  areOJtudeof  human  nature,  whch  is  fhort  of  a  participa- 
tion of  the  divine  nature,  the  only  thing  that  will  introduce 
any  into  this  divine  kingdom.  No  a6l  proceeding  from  one 
kind  of  life  can  produce  the  principle  of  another  kind  of  life. 
The  mod  perfect  a£ls  of  a  brute  cannot  make  him  partaker  of 
the  human  nature  :  nor  can  the  mod  perfeft  human  a6l?,  be 
produQive  as  a  caufe  of  the  divine  nature.  Holy  exercifes 
cannot  proceed  from  the   human  nature,     until  it   is  renewed 


OF  REGENERATIOiV.  2:>3 

ifito  the  divine  life.  A  thing  muft  hrfl;  be,  and  tlicn  jft  : 
"Make  the  iree  good  and  the  fruit  will  be  good,"  As  th- 
kingdom  of  God  muft  be  entered  before  ilic  duty  of  luhjcrts 
can  be  performed  :  fo  the  mode  of  entrance  is  by  a  birth  cj 
u^ter  and  of  thefpirit,  Thele  iSgnify  not  the  fame  thing,  any 
more  thas  the  wajhing  of  regeneration,  and  the  ren^ojim^  of  ih^ 
Holy  Ghofij  mean  the  fame  thing. 

1.  A  birlhof  water,  cr  the  vvaOiingof  re-'enerit>or»  is  what 
vifibly enters  us  into  the  vifible  kingdom  of  God. 

As  to  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  fpint  is  th^  fi.ne  as  bcin'? 
born  again,  or  from  above  :  John  iii.  n.  So  the  binh  of 
water  in  particular,  is  the  fame  with  being  bapiizzd  with  water 
agreeable  to  the  chriflian  inftitution.  Regeneration  or  the  new 
birth  is  the  bufmefs,  end  and  defign  of  baptifm,  of  which  the 
new  covenant  is  the  fubftance.  Byptifai  is  a  vitible  rcgencra. 
tion,  changing  the  viftble  Jiatt  of  a  perlon,  as  his  Hate  is  chang- 
ed at  his  birth  :  for  then  he  enters  upon  a  new  mode  of  bein^"- 
in  a  new  region  :  and  Kxarealjlcitch  changed  alu),  if  the  thin?, 
fignified  accompanies  the  hgn,  as  it  doth  in  the  offcro^,  ir,  and 
in  the  cffeEb^,  where  the  fubjtrtl  is  not  faulty.  Bapiilm  formerly 
went  by  l!ie  names  or  regeneration,  tJisfacravdcnt  offundiicatio::, 
the  vital  laver,  the  vitaluaUr,  ibtfccond  nativity,  ih^falutar'j 
nativity,  and  the  beginning  of  life,  St.  Cyprian  faith,  '•  The 
chriflian's  nativity  is  in  baptifm."  But  moderns  have  ailixed 
an  idea  of  their  own  to  regeneration,  and  will  not  allow  or 
baptilmal  rcgenerpiion,  in  their  fcnfe  meaning  faving  renovation 
or  converfion,  v/hich  is  not  fatt  as  to  all  the  bnptucd.  But 
S;.  r.iurs  callir/g  baptifm  i\\&  wafJiing  of  regeneration ^  feems  to 
infer  I'omc  kind  of  baptifmal  rcgencraiion.-  Men  thcrcbv  b.;. 
come  vihble  /T..embefs  of  the  viable  church,  have  the  name  of 
chriftiuns,  f.nd  are  under  all  chrif>i;:n  eng;rements  which  iij<:ir 
bgeaiid  capacity  wdl.adiniL  of,  imd  fhould  be  treated  as  chil- 
*^ien,  iaints  and  fubjea;..  W  ,,  ar^  the  lul>jeas  of  baptifji 
F   f 


-34  OF  REGENERATION. 

Iialh  been  diiputed.  Some  cor.nrieit  to  adult  believers,  others 
extend  it  to  their  infant  offspring,  which  hath  been  validly 
proved  to  be  agreeable  to  fcripture  :  But  the  ctherwire  mind- 
ed mud  be  fully  perfuaded  in  their  minds,  and  aft  accordingly 
•antil  God  reveal  this  alfo  unto  them.  We  only  obferve  that  in 
order  to  the  validity  of  baplilm  it  ought  to  be  adminiftered  by 
a  vifibly  authorifed  perfon,  as  well  as  into  the  name  of  the 
Chriflian  Trinity,      And  therefore  lay  baptifm  is  invalid. 

2.  The  birth  of  the  fpirit  conflitutcs  us  real  fubje^ts  of  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

By  the  fpiiic  we  are  undoubtedly  to  underftand  the  Holy 
Spirit,  (incc  Jeius  the  firfi:  born,  M'as  born  of  the  Holy  Ghoft. 
A  biith  (iippt'Tes  a  previoi^s  gcnerstion.  God  begets  us  with 
the  word  of  truth,  and  we  are  born  again  or  above,  not  of 
corruptible,  hut  incorruptible  Iced,  by  the  word  of  God.  James 
i.  18.  I.  Pet.  i.  23.  What  is  born  of  the  {^\x\x^  is  fpirit^  vital 
lanftity. 

Regeneration  is  two  fold,  cf  (late  and  of  nature  ;  the  fubjefi 
of  it  IS  the  rnan  born  into  our  world,  as  the  bring  born  again 
implies.  But  fince  ih.e  fpirit  of  man  wss  not  originated  by  a 
birth  into  our  world,  not  th.;  phylical  being  of  the  foul,  nei- 
ther its  elTenl::d  faculties  are  cliaa.^ed  by  regefieration.  But 
a  vital  principle  of  fanctity  is  infufed,  ?.rd  the  fubjefts  of  it 
are  quickened  into  hie,  and  become  bnbes  in  Chrifl,  and  grow 
up  like  the  Holy  JcTlis  to  the  perfcfl  flali'ire  of  men.  With- 
out life  there  is  no  generation,  01  reg^eneiation  :  the  Spirit 
"ives  life  to  foul  and  body,  snd  renews  us  pKo  in  the  fpirit  of 
our  mdnds,  and  iiiuminaiCi  with  the  light  of  life.  Regeneration 
h.-^th  a  beginning,  but  the  product  of  it  is  not  jerfeflcd  st  or.ce. 
Enoch  Was  p/Cifcflly  r(*gcr.cr?rted  when  fe  wa.s  trar.flited,  io 
was  Elijah  when  Ivc  enterrd  the  chariot  of  Inr,  for  fit  fli  and 
Elood  cannc^t  inh.i-rit  the  kingdom  of  God,  tier  ^.A.\\  ccrrup- 
tion    inherit    incorrupt'    ;-.        ''"he    appearance    of  Mol'^i    and 


OF  REGENERATiOlN.  235 

KUas  on  the  Mount  was  in  bodies  peifcftly  regenerated.  It 
was  the  regenerated  life  of  God  within  him  made  Mofes';i  face 
Lo  ftiinc,  and  Stephen's  face  to  appear  like  lliat  of  an  nngcl. 
It  is  the  indwelling  of  the  fpirit  in  the  faints  that  quickens 
their  mortal  bodies:,  and  raifcs  them  fpiritual  and  glorious,  and 
completes  their  rcgcneraticMi. 

The  term  regeneration  is  founded  in  Judaiiiiij  liealhenifm, 
among  politicians,  and  phyfirians,  and  lawyers,  Sec.  which 
fefemblanccs  may  lerve  to  illuflrate  the  fcripturc  noiion  of  it, 
as  not'  relating  to  mind  but  liic  and  lubuancc,  <;r  flatc  and 
condition. 

Selden  and  Marfliam  tell  us  that  live  Jews  looked  upon 
their  profelytes  as  new  born,  when  baptized,  even  as  infants 
newly  come  into  the  woilcl.  I'hcy  (uppofcd  all  tlieir  formei 
kindred  ceaied  with  their  Gentiiifm,  and  thai  none  of '  their 
relilions  by  affinity  or  conianguinity,  could  inlieiic  iKeireflatcs 
after  their  deceafe:  and  even  their  former  rnarriage  they  thought 
to  be  diffolvcd,  but  the  Apolile  reftilies  th.al  enor.  I.  (vor. 
vii,  33.  14,  &c.  At  that  time  they  svere  ihou^^ht  lo  put  ofi 
iheir  country,  and  to  have  a  new  foul  from  heaven.  Analo- 
gous to  this  by  the  chiiftian  regeneration  tlicre  is  a  new  fet  of 
Ipiritual  reJatior^s  fornicd,  the  natural  continuing  as  ihty  w-ivc  : 
they  change  their  fbie  and  country,  by  pafting  out  oi  dark- 
neis  into  ligiit,  from  Satan's  kingdom  iiUo  t'ut  ot  God's  drar 
Son,  and  from  being  citii'ns  of  this  world  to  become  citizer.s 
if  heaven.  Ti  ey  are  ihtrcfore  new  rncn  c.-  new  creatures, 
:n  nature  arul  Hate. 

Heathen  had  a  kn.<l  >1  uj  <.i.oi  dtion  by  their  iiiitjwii.n  into 
llic  Mleufinian  myi'lcricr,  p.ifiitig  tl.«rongii  m.nn-  purgations 
and  five  yciirs  prepjrjtory  tn..l:  jit  wiiich  lime  they  engaged 
to  rclinquifli  their  former  i*rid  t.tke  up  a  ncv/  way  of  liviog, 
and  bLumd  therafclvcs  to  the  pratiicc  of  grcarcr  piety  and  hu- 
ir.iritv  ihan  others.      '1  lit-l^^  mydcvits  .vcre  c:.;lcd  ihc princ'.t!^; 


£3^  OF  REGENERATION. 

cj-  iifc,  which  fpcaks  them  to  be  a  regeneration.  See  Grotius  on 
John  iii.  5.  Tertullian  faith,  "  The  Gentiles  are  tinged  at 
cerlein  facred  times,  for  a  regeneration  and  the  impunity  of 
their  pcjjuries."  Among  the  Greeks  the  long  abfent,  or  (up- 
pofed  dead,  for  whom  funeral  rights  had  been  performed,  upon 
their  return  or  revival,  were  looked  upon  as  born  again. 

Among  politicians,  the  new  creation  of  the  conititution 
cn  a  ftatf ,  and  declaration  of  its  independence  is  a  regeneration. 
Thi'v.  a  nation  is  korn  at  once,    I  fa,  Ixvi.  &c. 

Phyficians  call  the  redoraticn  of  loft  flefli  by  a  dew  growth, 
2  regeneration. 

Phiiorophers  caU  the  recucing  ?hir»gs  to  their  fird  eftate,  a 
regeneration. 

The  floics  and  Platonics  held  to  fuch  a  regeneration  of  the 
world.  And  Chrifl:  fpeaks  of  following  him  in  the  regenera- 
ticf,  in  the  new  ftate  of  things,  Matt.xix.  28. 

Lawyers  fpcck  of  a  regerieration  of  great  note  :  which  is 
when  3  bond  ilave  is  fully  manumiffed,  and  made  a  citizen,  as 
thou^'h  he  was  free  born.  This  is  a  regeneration  of  ftate,  and 
30  is  adoption  into  a  family. 

Cicero  terms  a  reftoration  to  his  country  and  honors,  a 
rrgcnerating  of  him. 

'•  If  a  man  is  delivered  from  the  danger  of  death,  let  him 
look  upon  himfelf  as  born  ng^in."  Firmicus.  "  1  feem  to  be 
born  again,  to  have  new  life,"  (faith  Hcgio  in  Plautus,)  when 
he  heard  his  captive  fen  was  come  home. 

The  refurreftion  of  the  body  being  a  rcvivifcence  is  a 
regeneration.   Heb.  i.  5.   comp.  J.  Pet.  ii.  3.   Pf.   ii.  -7. 

The  redemption  of  the  body,  and  the  deliverance  of  the 
creature  fubjeQ  to  vanity,  from  the  bondage  of  coiruption,  is 
its  adoption^  which  is  a  regeneration  of  ft  ate.  Pvora.  viii.  19, 
20,  &c.  They  are  begotten  and  born  into  a  life  of  glory, 
&nu  arc  ^cns  of  God  beinq  fons  of  the  lefurrection. 


OF  REGENERATIO.V. 


23' 


As  to  chriftian  regeneration  o^Jlate^  it  is  to  be  oUfervcd  that 
the  firft  entrance  into  a  new  mode  of  cxiflence  in  a  new  vc- 
gion  is  a  birth^  and  the  j^erfon  who  thus  enter?,  is  born  inio  ir, 
and  if  any  rite  or  thing  js  ufed  to  eflcft  this  birth.  He  may  be 
faid  to  be  born  of  that.  Thus  by  the  application  of  water 
agreeable  to  the  chriuian  inftitution,  to  adults  or  infants,  ihey 
change  their  ftate,  and  begin  a  new  being  in  a  new  world. 
They  pafs  out  of  Satan'i>  into  Chr;fL's  kingdom,  become  hi'' 
fubjc£ls,  the  adoptive  {on?,  and  daugV.ters  of  God,  and  are  \.ii 
more  aliens,  ftrangers,  or  foreigners,  but  fellow  cl'.ir.-^ns  of 
the  Glints,  and  of  the  houfehold  of  God.  They  arc  in  thrit 
region  where  the  Holy  Spirit  ufually  afts,  enjoy  the  nurture*. 
and  admoniticS^  of  the  Lc«nl,  ■3x^6.  the  patronage  of  angels  of  no 
mean  dignity,  who  always  behold  the  face  of  their  father  in  heaven. 
Ma*:!,  xvili.  lo.  Efth.  i.  a.  The  wafliing  of  regeneration 
comprifelh  the  rer)ujfion  of  fins  :  A£ls  xxii.  16".  therefore  the 
(late  of  rcmiffion  of  fins,  adoption,  and  divine  citizenuiip, 
may  be  called  regeneration  offlafe,  as  refiitutio  nntalium,  or 
the  manumiiring  a  flave  with  plenary  ingenuity,  is  by  tl.c 
imperial  lawyers  called  rrgcneratic^n.  As  the  fen''.'  o^'  thiiigs 
under  X^hrift  is  called  the  regeneration;  Mntt,  xix.  28.  ih 
that  flate  of  rights  and  relations  conferred  on  cliriflians,  upon 
their  admiflion  into  the  kingdom  of  Gcd,  mufr  be  confidered 
as  part  of  their  rcgcncrnti'^.n. 

"  God  hath  taken  us  into  Iiis  kingdom  by  the  adoption  of 
facred  regeneration."  St.  A.mbrofe.  Ti)!s  king<iom  is  conRi- 
tuted  by  regeneration  cffate,  for  therein  confiflieth  the  manu- 
mitting Hives,  the  endc-nizing  ciri/vu';,  naturalizing  aliens,  and 
adopting  fon^s.  *'  By  the  adoption  of  regeneration  wc  are  born 
of  God."  Sf.  Auguft;!ne.  The  grace  of  adoption  is  conferrc'i 
in  our  fecnnd  nativitv.  vhich  is  T)Trt  of  rc^vnemrion,  and  isf).ir 
ennoblement  of  ilue  and  condition,  a  pi^fhiig  fr  :m  tr.s  Icj^d 
ft..-ite  under     kvvitudc,    bondige   and    cond'.^ir.nation,    int'>    iho 


2^8  OF  REGENERATION, 


ftate  of  grace,  liberty,  and  ialvation,  from  the  ftate  of  death, 
to  that  of  life.  This  is  vifibLy  ^ndfignificatively  effefted  by  the 
birth  of  water,  and  really  by  the  birth  of  the  Spirit  accompa- 
rying  it.  The  water  in  baptifm  is  the  antitype,  to  the  water 
in  Noah's  flood,  that  was  falvivic  to  him  and  family,  this  \s  to 
believers  and  their  houfeholds.  I.  Pet.  iii.  2.  They  are  the 
favcd  ones.  And  this  birth  of  water  is  ordinarily  as  neceflary 
in  its  place,  as  the  birth  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  previous  exiflence 
of  the  latter,  doth  not  render  the  former  needlcfs. 

Regeneration  of  nature  is  no  m.oxQ  figurative  than  the  firft 
generation  ana  birth  is. 

It  is  the  communication  and  addition  of  the  divine  nature 
and  life,  to  ihc  creature  to  whom  the  golpel  is  commanded  to  be 
preached.  The  produ£l  of  a  birth  of  the  fpirit,  isfpirif,  z 
vital  fubflance,.  and  not  a  rational  foul.  The  account  given 
of  the  generation  and  nativity  of  Jefus  the  Sun  of  God,  will 
explain  our  regeneration  of  nature  ;  for  he  was  born  of  the 
fame  fpirit  we  are  reborn.  He  \.\\?i  fir fi  horn ^  we  the  many  breth- 
ren j  he  the  natural,  crest ure-tranfcendant  Son  of  God,  we  the 
adopted  creature  Sons  of  God.  As  his  intelle£l  or  fpirit  was 
not  then  originated,  but  a«divine  vital  fubftance  united  to  it, 
fubjecl  to  a  progrefs  and  growth  towards  pcrfeftion  :  fo  neither 
is  our  fpirit  originated  by  our  natural  generation  or  birth,  but 
comes  from  God,  and  is  made  partaker  of  fie (h  and  blood,  to 
which  a  divine  vital  nature  is  added  in  our  regeneration,  fubje£l 
to  a  natural  p/rogrcfs  and  growth,  Viniil  we  arrive  to  z perfect 
man  iivto  the  mcafure  of  the  fiature  of  the fullncji  cj  Qkrifi.  Eph. 
iv,  13.  Regeneration  of  nature  therefore  elp-ntially  confifts 
,in  the  communication,  and  participation  of  the  divine  vital 
nature  which  is  life  eternal  in  holinefs  and  \o\c^  and  is  called 
incorruptible  feed ^  I.  Pet.  i.  23.  and  i?  compared  to  a  grain  of 
muftard  feed,  for  its  mighty  growth,  hence  the  born  of  Gt)d 
\\^\c  his  feed  remaining  in  (hew.    I.  John  iii,  o.      This    piinti- 


OF  REGENERATION.  23^ 

pie  of  life  and  divine  animativio  is  what  the  heart  is  to  the  iiat- 
(iral  man,  and  is  called  a  new  hearty  a  new  creature,  and  new 
man.  All  the  moral  changes  In  the  world  without  life,  do 
not  amount  to  regeneration  of  nature.  The  dead  in  trefpaircs 
and  fins,  the  alienated  from  the  life  of  God,  are  made  a/iui, 
and/zue  unto  God.  Chrifl  came  that  \vc  might  have  life,  he 
is  the  life,  God  hath  given  us  eternal  life  in  him,  and  he  is 
our  life,  hid  with  Chrift  in  God.  Chrifl  is  made  a  quicken- 
ing fpifit,  as  the  firft  man  was  made  a  living  foul  to  communi* 
cate  life  to  the  children,  God  hath  given  him,  of  which  ho  is 
the  everlafling  Father*  Speaking  of  the  fpirit  (he  faith)  ^''  he 
Ihall  receive  of  mine,  and  (Lew  it  unto  you." 

Of  his  fulnefs  we  receive  by  the  fpirit  and  grace  for  grace. 
By  his  fpirit  the  mortal  bodies  of  faints  are  quickened.  Thci 
Spirit  born  of  Spirit  is  light,  love,  and  holinels,  a  vital  infLinft 
and  conftitution,  the  vital  fubihnce  of  Saints,  as  Saints,  a 
compreheniion  of  properties,  having  fympathies,  and  antioa-^ 
thies,  a  principle  of  fre^  motion,  like  the  circulation  of  the  bloody 
15r a  living  flream  from  a  living  fountain.  I.  John  i.  5.  I.  iv. 
8.    II.  Pet.  i.  4.    Heb.  xu,  10. 

"Out  of  his  belly  ihall  H.av  rivers  of  living  water.*'  John 
vii.  38.  As  ants  are  taught  to  do  after  their  kind  ;  io  the 
regenerate  are  taught  of  God,  to  love  God,  and  to  hate  evi!^ 
with  an  antipathy  like  that  of  a  Iamb  to  a  wolf,  and  cannot 
fin,  his  feed  remaining  in  them,  becaufe  they  are  born  of  God. 
I.  John  iii.  9^.  They  are  alfo  inftinftively  taught  of  God  tj 
love  one  another.  I.  Thef.  iv.  9.  The  fpirit  born  of  fpirit 
luftelh  againfi:  the  flefn,  and  prevents  their  doing  what  the 
Helli  would  have  them  to  do.  Gal.  v.  17.  It  is  for  want  cf 
this  fpirit,  the  law  of  the  naind  in  the  unregenerate  is  too  weak 
to  hinder  their  being  captivated  to  the  law  of  fin  in  their  mem- 
bers. Rom.  vii.  23.  Flefli  and  fpirit  will  no  more  mix  tiian 
ci!  and  water.      Flsdi  is  a  vi^j!  nature  fpontaneouily  pafturi^p^' 


240  OF  REGENERATION. 

of  lin,  thGrefore  c<A\zC\  finjul  and  they  who  are  under  its  reign, 
and  governed  by  the  mir.d  of  the  flefh,  are  carried  on  in  the 
ways  of  lin.  by  a  live  impctus.yor  tke  fpirit  of  whoredom  is  in 
tram.  Hoien.  v.  4.  In  a  fmiilar  aranner  the  divine  nature  is  a 
\ital  orlncipie  in  the  regenerate,  letting  them  in  motion  towards 
Cv,d  and  holinels,  inclining  them  to  holy  duties  with  a  willing 
T;roncniion,  which  they  perform  with  a  willing  and  ready 
luind.  as  not  being  grievous,  fcr  the  ipirit  of  God  is  and  abidetk 
i;i  I  hem.  Their  f.uih  and  love  are  holy,  the  produtt  of  a  new 
heart.  In  propoition  to  their  regeneration,  hol;nefs  is  their 
life  2tul  pulfe,  their  very  conflitution  as  faints,  and  by  degrees 
it  woiks  out  the  leinainder  of  corruption,  as  nature,  according 
\o  Ihpocvsiss^  is  a  cure  for  all  diJeafa.  The  divine  nature  is 
ii*e  foundation  of  all  holy  aas,  which  arc  wrought  in  God.  John 
iii.  21.  It  is  fuperior  to,  and  diftinft  from  common  human 
nature,  and  cppofed  to  evil  nature.  To  walk  as  men  is  to  be 
carnal.  I.  Cor.  iii.  3.  To  Jliow  our/elves  men,  is  a  laudable 
attainment,  but  regeneration  makes  us  more  than  m.en,  by  the 
addition  of  the  divine,  to  the  human  nature.  It  was  the  diviift 
nature  which  is  love,  moved  God  to  give  his  only  begotten 
Son.  and  Jefus  who  is  love  of  love,  voluntarily  to  come  from 
heaven  to  earth  to  help  us,  by  undergoing  agonies  for  our  eafe, 
^ndarin?  fi.ripes  for  our  healing,  and  fulTering  ignominy  and 
death  i.^v  our  honor  and  life.  The  divine  nature  is  light  v;ilh- 
out  darknefs,  pure  luminous  vitality,  abhorrent  from  all  evil, 
all  joyouSj  beauteous  and  lovely.  '•  Thou  art  fair  my  love, 
altogether  lovely,  there  isnofpot  in  thee."  It  is  endued  with 
a  celertia!  kind  oi  beauty  through  tke  covidinefs  of  God.  put  upon 
ihc  ])nrt«kcrs  of  it.  EzrJ;.  xvi.  14.  And  as  the  holy  offspring 
of  the  king  of, lainis,  the  regenerate  are  endued  with  the  holi- 
r.els  rf  d  gr.iiy  as  well  as  of  puriiy.  Their  fanftity  is  their 
divmt  n'.;bili:y.  excelie.icy    and  honour,  the  righteous  "is  more 


•.  ♦•   »ViTn  l-ii«.  nr'inV.hri 


cxceAient.irian  nis  ncig 


U\J 


ur. 


OF  A  TESTAMENT,   &c.  241 

The  regenerate  are  alio  Zion's  children,  born  of  her,  wlio 
travails  in  birth  to  bring  them  forth,  and  Jerufalcm  above,  is  their 
mother*  Lament,  iv.  2.  Ifai.  Ixvi.  8.  Ps.  Ixxxvli.  5.  The 
forming  a  child  of  grace,  is  like  forming  a  child  in  the  womb, 
and  godly  Minifters  travel  in  birth  till  it  is  efFe6:ed.  Gal.  iv„ 
19.  Though  God  begets  us,  and  we  are  born  of  the  Inirir, 
yet  the  word,  miniilers,  and  human  exertions,  concur  heicin. 

We  only  obferve  that  all  chriflian  graces,  dntias,  benefits, 
engagements  and  privileges,  are  confequences  and  efre6ts  of 
regeneration.  And  that  renovation  in  the  fpirit  of  the  mind, 
illumination,  converfion,  putting  off  the  old  man,  and  putting 
on  the  new  man,  in  the  new  Covenant,  come  under  the  famo 
denomination.  The  necedity  of  divine  regeneration  ariles 
from  the  conftitution  of  God,  the  nature  of  the  kingdom  enter- 
ed, and  the  utter  impollibility  of  any's  being  happy  without  it» 

This  ftiould  make  every  one  to  agonize  to  enter  the  kingdom 
of  God  by  being  born  again,  for  without  are  the  unclean,  unholy 
and  vile.   Rev,  xxii.  15. 


CHAP.    XII. 

or     A     TESTAMENT,     CGVEN'AMTj     A  K' D     LAV,. 

Of  a  Tejiamcnt,  Covenant^  and  Law  :  0/  the  vld  :  of  the  neu  : 
compared  :  the  new  the  better  Tiftavitnt  :  Ch.rijl  the  MediuU-r 
of  the  new  :   his  mediation.  :   all  his  offices  inediatorial. 

CHRISTIANITY  confidered  as  the  kingdom  of  Goc.  cF 
Chrift,  and  of  Heaven,  muft  have  a  conjiitution  according  to 
which  it  is  fettled,  and  governed,  and  a  chcrt-'r  cfrig^ts  declar- 
ing the  dues  of  Ibvereign  and  fa bje£l5.  A  ref,ular  kinp,dr>ni 
cannot  exifc  withrmt  fach  a  conftitution,  and  there  is  alwavs 
an  implicit  league  or  covenant  between  the  (overeign  and  fub- 
jecls.      What  t lie    conRitution    and    law    of  lliis  kingdom  is, 


i42  OF  A  TESTAMENT, 

none  can  be  ignorant  who  coiifider  the  kingdom  iifelf  i^not 
original  but  iiccv,  that  it  is  entered  by  zneio  birth,  and  we  fliall 
prove  hereafter  is  alfo  founded  by  a  nezo  creation.  The  very 
title  affixed  to  the  book  which  contains  the  chriflian  religion^ 
E  Kaine  Diathche^  tranllated  the  Nezo  Ttjiamait^  imports  it  t© 
be  a  ntw  Jutkmtnt  of  things.  The  old  teflament  and  new, 
the  old  law  and  the  new,  are  not  the  fame  under  diflerent 
editions,  any  more  than  the  old  raan  and  the  new,  are  the  lame. 
Though  we  r6ad  of  commandments  both  old  and  new  :  yet  the 
iiezo  w'hen  materially  the  fame  with  the  old,  are  at  the  fame  time 
dirtintt  from  therh,  as  enjoined  by  anew  authority,  as  laws  of  a 
new  kingdom,  and  containing  either  an  addition  of  duty,  or 
caufcs,  mearures,  and  motives  of  duty,  to  angels  and  men.  The 
wiiter  to  the  Hebrews  faith,  *'  For  this  caufc  he  (Chnflj  is  the 
Mediator  of  the  new  teflament,  that  by  means  of  death,  for 
the  redemption  of  the  tranfgrefTions,  Chat  were  under  the  firfl 
teflament,  they  which  ate  called  might  receive  the  promlfe  of 
eternal  inheritance."  II  cb.  ix.  15.  Here  is  a  f.i  ft  and  a  new 
teflament,  the  former  is  in  other  places  called  the  old,  and  the 
latter  tlie  belter  teflament  cfUblifl'ved  upon  better  promifes. 
'j'herefore  they  cannot  be  one  and  the  fame  under  different 
editions  as  fome  fpeak.  Thcfiii'i.  Jjad  no  promife  of  eternal 
inheritance. 

The  religions  of  Jews  and  Chrifiians,  and  the  books  that  con- 
contain  them,  go  under  the  7iamc  of  Tcftaments. 

It  will  be  vcce.jfdry  to  inquire  into  the  'nature  cf  a  I'eft.rimenl 
according  to  the  force  0/ the  original  word  E  Diath;:kc  :  to 
drjcribe  the  firji  or  eld  :  to  conjtder  the  nature  oj  the  kcond  01 
nno  :  point  out  their  differences  upon  comparijon.  whence  the  nc^v 
tvill  appear  to  hi  (he  belter  :  [new  Chriji  to  be  the  Mediator  of  the. 
new.  dcjcribe  his  vi::diation  in  Jasjev^rul  offices.  The  illnjiiauon 
of  thejc  particulars  will  give  us  an  idea  oJ  the  prejent  conjiitution, 
and  ddminiji ration  of  the  lAngdom   of  heaven  before  dcfcribed, 


COVENANT,  AND  LAW.        ..43 

I.  The  nature  of  a  teftamcnt  according  to  the  force  of  the 
original  words  E  Diatheke,  is  to  be  inquired  into. 

This  word  is  tranflated  covenant^  as  well  as  leflarucnt,  and  ir 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  both  a  leflannent  and  a  covenant,  and 
alfo  of  a  law. 

The  primary  fignification  of  Diathekc,  is  that  of  a  politic 
difpofition  or  lettlement  of  things.  The  Hebrew  word  an- 
fwcring  to  it,  fignifies  to  inaks,  ordain,  and  ejiablijh.  Now 
both  the  Jewifh  and  Chriftian  religions  are  conftitutions,  or 
•ettlements  of  things  which  God  hath  created,  and  eftabliHied  ; 
ond  fuch  fettleraents  as  have  the  name  and  nature  of  teftaaients, 
covenants,  and  laws,  and  therefore  tlie  v*'ord  is  ufed  for  all 
thefe  forts  of  conftitutions. 

It  fometimes  fignifies  a  tejlament  properly,  and  cannot  be  olh- 
erwife  undcrfliood.  '*  Where  a  tcftament  is  there  muft  alfo 
of  neceflTity  be  the  death  of  the  teftitor,  for  a  tefhament  is  of 
force  after  men  are  dead^  otherwife  it  is  of  no  {licn;^*!i  ar.  all 
while  the  teflator  liveth."   lleb.  ix.  16. 

But  in  fome  other  places  it  muft  be  tranQated  covenant  ; 
covenants  were  made  by  blood,  and  had  rnediatois,  not  f> 
proper  to  teftament5. 

And  both  the  Jewini  and  Chriftian  reiigions  are  in  th.cir  gen- 
eral nature  laws,  for  any  difpofition  of  things  of  authorative 
f)biigation,  and  cfpecially  if  it  be  a  conftiturion  declarins^  rights 
and  fettling  dues,  muft  neceftarily  be  a  law.  There  is  propriety 
in  calling  them  by  thcfe  (everal  names  becaufe  of  the  affinitv 
between  a  teftament,  covenant,  and  law,  and  alfo  becaufe  both 
the  Jewifh  and  Chriftian  religions,  partake  of  the  nature  of 
thcfe  conftitutions.  As  to  a  tcftament  it  is  a  maxim  among 
civilians  that,  voluntas  Tejlaioris,  pro  lege  habctar  :  the  tcill 
.of  the  tcjlator  fiould  be  accounted  /j:;-.  And  is  law  to  the 
legatees,  and  from  hence  lq]arc  to  U;(]ucath,  and  legacy  at.? 
derived. 


244  .        OF  A  TESTAMENT, 

A  mutual  covenant  is  ever  allowed  lobe  law  to  the  contraft- 
ing  parties,  and  the  terras  of  it  are  laws.  The  public  law  of  a 
co.T.monwealth  is  by  Dsmofthenes  called,  "  A  certain  agree- 
ment or  compacl  of  the  people.'*  In  a  law  the  nature  of  a 
covenant  is  involved,  becaufe  it  implicitly  proraifeth  indem- 
nity or  reward.  Laws  and  public  covenants  both  have  a 
fanflion  (a  fanguine)  as  covenants  were  made  by  the  blood  of 
facrifices,  and  the  penal  part  of  laws,  confecrate  the  blood  of 
the  tranigrelTor  to  them.  Tefiaments  and  covenants  agree  in 
having  an  eftabllfhment  by  death,  and  blood  ;  the  death  of  the 
teftator,  and  the  death  and  blood  of  the  facrifice  at  making  cov- 
enants. But  what  is  mod  noticeable  in  each  is,  that  they  create 
rights  and  dues,  claims  and  titles  according  to  law,  which 
accrue  to  a  legatory  by  a  teftament,  to  a  covenantee  by  a  cov- 
enant, and  by  the  conftitutional  law  of  every  polity,  the  rights 
and  dues  of  rulers  and  lubje^ts  are  fettled,  and  declared, 

1.   Of  a  Tefhament. 

A  teftament  conftitutes  heirs,  and  in  the  flrift  law  fenfs 
none  is  heir  to  the  living,  or  at  lead  can  come  into  poffeflion 
while  the  teftator  liveih.  By  inherita7ice  the  patrimony  is  to  be 
underil:ood,  or  the  eftate  of  the  rights  of  a  perfon  deceafed, 
with  the  right  of  fucceeding  thereunto.  But  in  this  hv'iEi 
fcnfc  neither  Chrift  nor  Chriftians  can  be  heirs  of  God,  or  have 
right  to  any  divine  inheritance,  becaufe  God  cannot  die.  If 
p  teftament  is  only  the  will  of  the  dead,  and  is  of  no  force 
while  the  teftator  liveth,  there  can  be  no  fuch  teftament  of 
God,  for  "  the  great  Jehovah  cannot  die."  In  this  ftrift  fenfa 
jieiihertheold,  nor  new,  are  God's  teftaments.  But  in  a  holy 
popular  fenfe,  the  firft  covenant  was  a  teftament,  "  For  if 
one  will  be  a  great  benefador  to  others,  and  fo  make  and  pub- 
lifh  an  irrevocable  fettlement  of  his  eftate,  giving  the  right  of 
heirs,  and  beftowing  the  right  of  inheritance,  thus  devifing  his 
gocds.^  to  be  received  after  a  certain  timCj  though  he  die  not; 


COVENANT,  AND  LAW.  $45 

he  maketh  his  will  or  teftamcnt.*'  This  a£l  and  deed  Is  his 
rettlement  To  as  to  be  his  tcftamcMt.  If  legacies  are  not  of  the 
cffence  of  a  teftament,  yet  the  giving  the  right  of  heirs,  and 
beftowing  the  right  of  inheritance,  are  fo  far  clTential,  that  fome 
civilians,  have  defined  a  teftament  to  be  injlitutio  hcsredis,  the 
making  of  an  heir.  When  God  made  Abraham  an  heir,  by  a 
difpofal  of  his  eflate  to  him,  and  his  feed,  and  when  he  made  it 
irrevocable,  certain  beafts  and  birds  being  (lain  and  divided  in 
the  midft,  and  the  pieces  laid  one  againft  another,  and  a  burn- 
ing lamD  pafled  between  them,  by  this  folemn  a6l  and  deed, 
he  made  and  confirmed  his  Abrahamical  tcflament.  Gen.  xv. 
To  this  teflament,  complicated  with  the  Mofaic,  the  Apoflle 
refers  when  he  faith,  "  Neither  was  the  firft  teftament  dedica- 
ted without  blood."  Heb.  ix.  18.  As  in  a  ftrift  proper  tefta- 
ment  there  muflbe  the  death  of  the  teftator,  fo  this  had  the  na- 
ture of  a  teftamentfo  far,  as  not  to  be  dedicated  without  fome- 
thing  of  death  and  blood.  Tcftaments  and  covenants  fo  far 
agree  in  this,  even  their  being  made  and  cftabliflied  by  death 
and  blood.  The  gofpel  teflament  and  covenant  was  confirmed 
by  death  and  blood,  but  God  the  teftator  did  not  die.  A  tefha- 
jnent  is  a  noble  deed  of  fettlement  becaufe  it  inflituteth  heirs  : 
the  chriftian  teftament  is  of  this  nature,  *' That  they  which 
are  called  might  receive  the  promife  of  eternal  inheritance." 
Both  teftaments  agree  in  another  refpeft  as  being  witnclFcd  rr. 
by  teftable  perfons.  Human  tcdaments  are  firft  nuncupative, 
and  are  valid  even  then,  if  fufficicntly  atteflcd.  Both  thcfe 
teftaments  were  of  this  kind  for  fome  time,  but  arc  now  regii'- 
tered  by  divine  fcribes. 

Chrift  as  firft  born,  and  the  appointed  jnincipal  heir,  ii 
executor  of  the  new  teftament,  and  difti  ibutes  to  his  joint  heirs, 
the  legacies  bequeathed  :  and  all  their  claims  to  Ipiritual  i*ti.l 
heavenly  bleffings  are  by  virtue  of,  and  according  to  the  ncv>/ 
feftaraent,  in  Chrift's  blood. 


846  OF  A  TESTAMENT, 

2.   DIathekc  fometimes   fignifies  a  covenant,    and  both  the 
Jewifhand  Chriftian  religions  agree  in  being  covenants. 

A  mere  promifory  fculement  of  things  is  fometimes  in  fcrip- 
ture  called  a  covenant,  but  it  is  only  a  covenant  of  one  party, 
is  not  mutual,  but  is  abloiutc  without  conditions  or  a  mediator. 
Such  was  the  covenant  of  day  and  night,  of  not  drowning  the 
world,  m^^dc  not  only  with  Noah  but  with  every  beafl  of  the 
field  :  and  fuch  was  the  promi/e  of  God  to  Abraham  concern- 
ing his  feed,  and  to  Phineas  about  the  priefthood.  In  making 
thefe  God  took  upon  himfelf  a  binding  engagement  to  others, 
but  no  confederating  afi  or  explicit  confent  on  their  part  wa« 
required,  they  were  neither  mutual,  nor  with  feals.  A  ftatutc 
or  conftitution  is  called  a  covenant,  where  a  fcttlement  of  things 
is  made  by  promife  :  and  a  chvenant  offalt^  as  fait  was  ufed  to 
make  covenants  fiim.   Numb,  xviii.  19. 

There  are  but  two  proper  mutual  covenants  mentioned  in 
the  Bible,  as  ever  fubfifting  between  God  and  mankind,  in  this 
world,  the  old  and  new,  firft,  and  fecond,  Abrahamical-Mofaical, 
9nd  the  chriflian. 

Divines  inceed  have  written  much  concerning  a  fuppofed 
*«  covenant  of  life  made  with  Adam  not  only  for  himfelf,  but 
for  his  poflcrity,  upon  condition  of  perfect  obedience,  forbid-* 
ing  him  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil 
upon  pain  of  death."  But  when  we  look  into  the  Bible  we 
f;nd  no  fuch  covenant  in  name  or  nature,  nothing  that  amounts 
to  a  pofitive  promifory  fettiement.  If  the  Adamjcal  conflitu- 
tion  was  an  inftitution  and  covenant  of  eternal  life,  there  would 
be  one  covenant  before  the  fw-ft,  for  tlie  Abrahamical  as  cdm^ 
plicated  with  the  Mofaical  is  certainly  the  firft  covenant.  We 
read  only  of  a  pofitive  prohibition  with  a  penalty,  and  a  tacit 
promife  that  he  fhould  not  die  penally  while  he  did  not  fin. 
Of  Adam's  federal  head(hip  we  read  nothing,  but  of  his  nat- 
tual  headfnip  we  ^0,  I.  Cor.  xv.  45,  46.     That  a  natural  mar. 


COVENANT,  AND  LaW.         ti". 

without  the  fpiiit,  for  a  natural  man,  P/ychikos  Anthropui'^ 
hath  not  the  Spirit,  Jude.  19.  fiiould  be  a  Ipiritual  federal  head* 
and  reprefentativeof  his  natural  delcendants,  is  of  all  ablurdilici 
the  moft  ablurd,  yet  it  is  reputed  ortliodox. 

But  the  Abrahamical  as  complicated  with  the  Mofaicjlj  and 
the  Chriftian,  are  proper  mutual  covenants  :  being  agrcc.neols 
between  two  perfbas  or  parties,  wherein  each  become  enga;^ed 
to  the  other  for  the  performance  cf  certain  fpecifisd  aiti^lt.i-. 
God's  covenant,  as  an  inditution  of  religion^  contains  pieccpis, 
promifes,  and  penalties.  The  firil  covenant  fettled  the  benefai 
part  of  it  upon  the  Ifraelites,  upon  their  doing  the  duiy  part 
of  it,  with  a  penally  annexed  in  cafe  of  failure.  The  benelit 
is  contained  in  its  promiies,  the  peaaity  is  coulained  in  us 
threatenihgs.  The  Chriftian  covenant  is  like  to  it  in  ihelb 
refpeds,  with  aj/)eci/ic  differcnceas  to  its  nature.  Tije  chiifliui 
preachers  like  Mofes,  tender  the  covenant  to  men  with  its 
benefits,  and  manage  a  treaty  with  thtirn  to  bring  them  into 
the  bonds  of  it.  None  were  Jev/s,  and  none  arc  Chriftians 
while  wholly  out  of  covenant.  In  the  covenant  God  takcth 
upon  himfelf  a  binding  engngement  to  be  unto  the  covctiau'oc'b 
a  God  :  and  he  requires  them  to  take  on  themlelvts  a  bindm'-' 
engagement  to  be  unto  Him  a  people.  Tlius  Prince  and 
people  conledcrate,  "I  l\voie  unto  liu'f,  and  cntctcd  ir.io 
covenant  with  thee,  and  thou  bccamtft  mine."  Kzjk.  xvi.  iSi 
"  They  alio  fwore  unio  him  and  avouched  ihc  Lord  to  be  tlieit 
God."   Deut.  xxvi.  i'^,  18. 

3.   Ttie  word  Diathche,  as  applied  to  the  J„'vvi{h    and  Chrii- 
tlan  religions,  involves  ia  it  the  general  notion  of  lau>,  dud  ii;c 
are  both  laws. 

77/(f  law  came  by  Mcfa.  And  although  the  New  "^rcrLiLcul 
is  diftinguilhed  from  and  (jppoied  to  that,  )ct  it  is  as  truly  lac'^ 
a  cLriJlian  hind  of  law  :  a  law  which  all  the  world  to  whom  it 
i>  promulged  a;e  bound  to  receive  and   obey,      it  is  d  ■ 


J48  OF  A  TESTAMENT, 

the  faiil:,  and  praftice  of  all  chriflians.  The  prophets  fpeak 
of  it  as  bw.  ''  Out  of  Zion  fhall  go  forth  the  law  :  a  law 
fliall  proceed  from  me:  the  Iiles  fhall  wait  for  his  law/' 
Ifa.  ii.  3.  Ii.  4.  xlii.  4.  The  voice  from  heaven  faid,  "This 
J5  my  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  kirn."  His  leiTons  are  virtually 
laws  ;  his  inftruftlons  are  his  edi6ls  ;  his  teachings  are  his 
commands  ;  verily,  verily,  I  fay  untoyou^  expreffeth  his  author- 
ity, as  the  prophets  expreffed  God's  with  a  thus  faith  the  Lord, 
The  prophets  fpeak.  of  Chriil  to  come  as  a  Lord  and  lawgiver, 
with  the  power  ar.d  authority  of  legiflation.  Ifa.  xxxiii.  22. 
The  all  power  given  Chrift  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  includes 
the  power  of  legiflation,  and  giving  out  commands  which  all 
his  fubjecls  are  bound  to  obey.  Religion  is  matter  of  law,  and 
obligation,  fuch  is  the  chrifiian  religion.  Every  man's  duty 
is  matter  of  law  to  him.  If  chrifLians  were  not  under  law  to 
Chrifl ,  they  ccuid  not  be  finners,  for  fin  is  a  tranfgrefTion  of 
lav/,  as  being  a  violation  of  duty  and  obligation.  Confidering 
Chrilliinily  as  the  kingdom  of  God,  it  muflhave  a  public  law, 
fettling  the  polity,  declaring  the  rights  and  dues  of  rulers  and 
fubjecls.  And  that  the  golpel  law  is  net  the  holy  moral  law 
properly  fuch,  though  it  adopts  that  as  a  rule  of  life  in  the 
TDuiter  of  it,  but  a  new  remediable  law,  appears  evident  in  that 
repentance  and  faith  are  not  of  the  moral  law.  And  fuch 
precepts  of  the  old  commandments  as  the  gofpel  enjoins,  com« 
under  a  new  confideration,  are  ena6led  by  a  new  authority, 
obeyed  by  new  men,  from  new  motives,  with  other  me^fures, 
and  for  another  end  and  purpofe.  The  old  law  requires  us 
to  love  our  neighbor  as  our/elves  ;  the  nev/  to  love  one  another 
as  Chr'ifi  hath  loved  us.  Repent  and  believe,  believe  and  be  bap- 
tized, Olftrve  all  things  whafoever  I  have  commanded  you,  are 
certainly  new  commands. 

Thcfe  names  of  Teftaments,   Covenants,  and  Laws,  import 
them  to    be   honorary   and  noble    feltlemcnts.        By  them    as 


COVENANT,  AND  LAW.  249 

teftaments  men  are  heirs  of  Gad.  A  covenant  of  the  people, 
is  the  charter  of  their  liberty,  the  injtrumcnt  of  their  freedomo 
I(a.  xlii.  6,  7.  and  xlix,  8,  9.  Chriftianity  is  the  law  of 
liberty  <is  it  makes  us  free  :  and  the  charter  of  our  immuni- 
ties, rights  and  privileges. 

Confidering  thefe  teilaments  or  covenants  as  inflitutions  of 
religion,  the  covenant  mufl  be  laid  as  the  foundation.  It  is  fo 
on  God's  part,  and  mud  be  fo  on  ours.  God  is  our  Cod  zi 
being  in  covenant,  and  we  are  his, 

"The  foundatioti  of  God  ftandeth  fure,"  <y;c.  II.  Tim„ 
ii.  19.  The  word  rendered  foundation  foine  tranflate  a  cove- 
nant, or  contra^,  whereby  two  parties  mutually  cbligc  them- 
felves  to  each  other.  Seals  were  affixed  to  covenants,  and 
fometimes  there  was  an  infcription  on  each  fids  agreeable  to 
the  conditions  of  the  contraft.  Here  is  a  feal  to  a  covenant 
with  this  infcription  on  God's  pait,  "  #.ie  Lord  knoweth.'^ 
&c.  and  on  man's  part,  *'  Let  every  one  that,"  &c.  There 
is  a  relation  to  a  foundation  which  ftandeth  fure,  and  to  a 
contraft  fealed,  the  former  is  the  verbal^  the  latter  is  the  real 
meaning.  Themelios,  fignifiss  foundation  ;  but  if  it  be  afl^-J 
what  that  is  to  which  the  notion  of  foundation  belon?s,  the 
anfwer  is  God's  covenant.  Read  it  thus,  The  foundation  of 
God,  which  is  his  covenant,  flandeth  fure,  having  a  fcal  to  it 
as  a  covenant,  and  an  infcription  on  the  I'eal  as  z  foitndcition. 

That  which  is  the  foundation  of  God  flandeth  lure,  the 
covenant  of  God  is  that  which  is  hh  foundation,  wilh  a  fcal 
and  infcription  on  God's  part  and  man's  part.  That  covenant 
of  God  which  was  Mofaical,  wa:;  the  foundation  of  a!l  claims  to 
Judaical  privileges  :  and  the  new  covenant  is  the  foundation  of 
all  claims  to  chriftian  privileges,  and  bleiTings.  God  doth  not 
adminifter  the  affairs  of  religion  arbitrarioujly,  or  by  dbfoUte  fuo- 
ereignty,  but  agreeably  to  the  tenor  of  his  own  covenant.  He  is 
immenfely  gracious  and  condefceuding  ia  making  this  covc:iar.r, 
H  h 


t..^  Oy  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT, 

^dmittincT  men  into  it,  and  alTifling  men  to  fulfil  its  terms  r 
but  he  hath  no  (.iving  mercy  to  men's  fouls  only  according  to 
the  tenor  of  the  new  and  everlafting  covenant.  "  If  children, 
then  heirs  :"  but  if  not  children,  then  no  heirs  to  an  eternal 
inheritance.  Aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Ifrael  had  no 
inheritance  in  the  earthly  Canaan  :  and  the  non  allied  to  God 
and  Chilli  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  can  expeft  no  inheritance 
in  heaven.  The  contrary  fuppofition  would  overturn  the 
foundation  of  God  in  both  teflaments.  But  God's  covenant 
is  a  foundation  furely  founded,  and  faith  and  hope  grounded 
on  it  z:e  fure  :  but  all  expeftations  without  his  cove- 
■naiit  will  fail.  Such  as  were  not  native  Jews,  became  Jews 
factive^  and  both  by  the  terms  of  the  covenant.  We  become 
chriftians  and  heirs  of  eternal  life,  by  becoming  parties  in 
liie  new  covenant.  The  leading  duty  in  Judaifra  and  Chrii- 
tianity  is  contained' in  the  prophets.  Ifa.  xliv.  5.  We  mufl: 
avouch  God  to  be  our  God,  Chrift  to  be  our  Savior,  the  Holy 
Ghoft  to  be  our  Rencwer  and  Sanftifier,  and  then  obferve  all 
tilings  commanded.  Become  fubje6ls  m  ftate,  and  then  a6l 
as  the  law  of  the  flate  requires.  And  if  any,  in  any  nation, 
are  fearers  of  God  and  workers  of  righteoufnefs,  they  fhail  be 
Dtccpted  of  God  according  to  the  tenor  of  that  covenant,  and 
Through  the  univcrfal  redemption  of  Chrift,  which  they  have 
not  had  any  explicit  knowledge  of,  bccaule  it  hath  not  been 
jcvciled  to  them. 

II.   Of    the    iirll  or  old  teftament.  covenant,  or  law. 

By  this  we  underftand  the  Abr^ih^mic  covenant  of  circurn- 
tilion,  Separate  from  the  promile,  as  complicated  with  the  Mo- 
iaic  or  Sinai  covenant  ;  which  had  a  worldly  fanftuary,  and 
J6  a  law  of  works,  and  of  carnal  commandments.  Heb.   ix.   1. 

We  mean  by  It  no  iuppofed  covenant  with  Adam^  no  cif- 
fercnt  edition,  or  legal  dilpenfjtion  of  the  covenant  of  grace, 
♦f  which   fomc  abfardly  fpcak.      The    covenant    of  prace  did 


COVENANT,  OR  LAVv\  -25 

not  cxifl  until  the  death  of  ChriH:,  only  in  prophecy,  in 
promife,  in  type  and  figure,  as  there  was  then  no  Chrifl  onlv' 
in  the  divine  foreordination,  nor  until  the  baptilm  of  Jcfus 
by  John,  when  he  was  made  Chrifl,  by  the  defcent  of  the 
Holy  Ghofl  upon  him.  The  gofpel  is  the  new  teftaraent  in 
Chrift's  blood,  which  had  no  eftablifhment  until  his  blood 
was  (hed,  though  as  he  was  the  Lamb  (Iain  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world  in  the  typical  facriHces  of  him,  God  treated  be- 
lievers in  the  promife,  according  to  the  tenor  of  it.  The 
Abrahamic  promifory  conftitution  is  to  be  diftinguifhed  from 
the  covenant  of  Abraham,  wliich  was  the  Judaical  covenant 
initially  introduced.  But  the  promifoiy  conftitution  was  no 
mutual  covenant  :  Abraham  became  an  heir  not  by  the  lar/, 
or  firft;  covenant,  but  by  promife. 

Holy  men  were  believers  in  a  Chrift  to  come  in  th'?  times  of 
Judaifm,  and  were  Cliriftians  thereby  without  the  name,  and 
initial  Judaifm  was  as  old  as  the  facrifices  of  Cain  and  Abel, 
who  were  Jews  without  the  name.  All  fpiritualbleirings  were 
derived  to  them  through  faith  in  the  abfolute  promife  of  Gcd, 
which  was  before  any  covenant  of  circumcifion  was  mad?. 
It  is  therefore  evident  that  no  fpiritual  blefTing  could  be 
d^ived  by  the  covenant  of  circumcifion,  which  was  a'^cer  the 
blelTings  were  poffcifcd  by  promife.  Believers  kept  all  the 
laws  of  God  as  being  in  a  ftate  of  grace  by  their  belief  of  the 
promife,  and  they  Judaized  in  their  rights  and  obfervances. 
They  were  God's  believers,  and  Chrifl's  prophetic  believers, 
and  obtained  righteoufneis  by  faith,  as  Abr.^ham  did,  and  all 
chrillians  do,  being  uncircumcifed.  Rom.  iv.  10.  For  watit 
of  diftinguilhing  between  the  promife  of  Abraham,  and  the 
covendnt  of  Abraham,  things  that  dlfler  have  been  corifounded. 
The  firfl:  or  old  teftamerit  and  covenarU  as  completely  edab- 
lifhedis  certainly  the  Mo'aic  Sinai  covenant  :  now  if  the  ct)V»_ 
.enant  of  Abrahams  w^s  the  gofpel  covenant^  the  new  and  f^corul 


igz  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT, 

covenant  mufb  be  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  before  th* 
fii  fb  or  old  covenant.  Gal.  iii.  i-j.  But  certainly  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  complicated  with  the  Mofaic,  and  as  diftinguifhed 
from  the  promijej  was  the  firft  old,  faulty  covenant,  that  was 
ready  to  vanifh  away.  Pleb.  viii.  7.  Certainly  the  firft  cov- 
enant, confidered  as  either  Abrahamicai  or  Mofaical,  was  made 
by  the  blood  of  beafts  and  bnds,  and  contained  no  promife  of 
eternal  inheritance,  and  therefore  could  not  be  the  new  or 
goipel  covenant  under  any  edition  or  difpenfation,  but  totally 
difl'.nft  from  it,  and  of  another  nature,  ratified  by  the  blood  of 
Chrifl:.  Great  flrcfs  is  laid  upon  circuincifion's  being  i\i& feat 
of  the  ri^hteoufnefs  of  faith.  But  the  faith  of  which  it  is  the 
feal  Abraham  had  while  uncircumcifed,  To  that  a  carnal  ordi- 
nance confirmed  an  antecedent  fpiritual  promife,  and  was  alio 
a  token  of  a  covenant  of  future  temporal  bleffings  to  Abraham's 
natural  feed. 

Therefore  the  firft  Abrahamic  and  Mofaic  covenant  was  ab- 
flra£led  from  its  types  and  figures,  only  a  civil  moral,  or  civil 
religious  injlitution^  but  not  fpiritual  religious^  which  by  way 
of  tcftament,  covenant,  and  law,  made  a  fettlement  of  the  {ec- 
ular,  worldly  and  national  concerns,  of  Abraham  and  the  old 
or  literal  Ilrael.  This  is  iti  proper  idea,  and  fpecific  nature, 
as  a  covenant.  It  enjoined  a  this  world  religion^  having  a 
worldly  fanftuary,  and  temporal  promifes,  for  the  reward  of 
obedience  was  life,  but  death  without  mercy  for  its  penalty 
in  cafe  of  difobediencc.  It  was  added  to  the  promife  becaufe 
nf  tranfgrefions,  that  is  the  prevalence  of  tranfgrefiions  in  men 
who  had  not  faith,  for  it  was  made  for  the  lawlefs,  and  not  the 
rif.hteous,  juft  as  the  civil  moral  conflitution  of  other  ftates, 
even  where  the  gofpel  is  profeffed,  is  added  to  reftrain  the 
licentioulnel's  and  difobedience  of  non  believers.  I.  Tim.  i.  9, 
J  fall  men  had  been  believers  in  the  promife  :  and  if  all  lived 
2T.d  cbcyed  the  gofpel,  ihf^  law  would  be  unnecelldry. 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  253 

1,  The  firft  and  fecond  covenants  dlfFsr  as  law  and  grace, 
temporal  and  earthly  promifcs  dillsr  from  fpiritual  and  heav- 
enly, and  upon  this  account  the  latter  is  the  better  :  Heb.  viii, 
6.  and  they  are  fo  oppofite  to  each  other,  that  to  expeft  any 
fpiritual  benefit  from  the  former,  deftroys  the  latter,  Gal.  ii. 
21.  V.  4.  as  their  different  adminiftration  fhevvs.  II.  Cor. 
iii.  6,  7,  8,  o.  No  freedom  from  the  fervitude  of  I'm,  no 
regeneration,  no  juftification  in  the  fight  of  God,  no  cleanfinfj 
as  pertaining  to  the  confcience,  accrued  to  any  by  the  firft  cov- 
enant. They  might  be  good  Judaical  citizens  by  a  civil  religi- 
ous obfervance  of  that  covenant,  as  Paul  and  the  young  man 
were,  but  could  be  no  fpiritual  holy  men^  becaufe  they  received 
not  the  fpirit  by  the  law,  but  by  the  hearing  of  faith.  That  all 
their  proraifes  were  temporal  is  raoft  evident  from  a  varietv  of 
fcriptures.   Levit.  xxvi.  3.  Deut.  xxviii.  Exod.  xxiii.  3.  &c. 

The  land  of  Canaan  was  the  great  inheritance  promiieH,  and 
excifion  from  it  the  great  penalty  threatened  :  God's  being  a 
God  to  them  according  to  the  tenor  of  that  covenant,  is  to  ba 
underftood  in  a  temporal  and  national  fenfe.  The  Jews  believed 
in  a  life  and  Meffiah  to  come,  but  did  not  derive  this  from  the 
law  covenant,  but  from  prior  revelations.  The  righteoufneCs  of 
the  law  is  our  czvn,  originating  from  a  birth  of  the  will  of  man, 
it  exalts  a  nation  when  prevalent  among  rulers,  and  ruled,  but 
can  anfwer  no  fpiritual  purpcfes.  Repentance  according  to 
the  tenor  of  it  only  averted  temporal  judgment,  as  in  Ahah, 
and  the  Ninevites,  and  procured  like  blcffings  when  obeyed, 
and  juftified  from  fomething,  but  not  as  to  fpiritual  matteiij. 
Afts  xiii.  39.  Even  the  moral  law  as  a  law  of  that  covenant 
was  of  civil  religious  interpretation,  as  it  is  now  in  ail  civil 
ftates  where  it  is  adopted,  and  comes  under  hi.m3n  cognizance 
and  jurifdi/ilion.  Overt  a£ls  only  are  rewardable  or  puniih-ibb 
by  it  :  temporal  life  and  death,  are  its  higheft  reward  and 
punifhment. 


a5t  O?  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT,  ' 

2.  The  firll  teftamsnt  involved  in  it  a  prophetical  and  typicat 
inftltution  to  chriflianity. 

The  epiftle  to  the  Hebrews  fully  fhews  how  almofl  every 
t^ing  in  ludaifm,  fhidowed  forth  fomething'in  Chriftianity, 
The  way  of  prophecying  in  old  times  was  not  only  by  v/ords 
but  by  types  and  figures.  The  type  and  antitype  cannot  be  of 
the  fame  fpecific  nature  :  figures  and  (liadows  of  things  to  come 
sre  not  the  things  themfelves,  nor  yet  the  fubftance.  Natural 
and  earthly  things  may  be  types  of  fpiritual  and  heavenly  things, 
but  theie  latter  can  be  no  types  of  the  former.  To  prevent  all 
mifconceptions  concerning  the  Adamical,  Patriarchal,  and  Ju- 
daical  economies,  let  it  be  particularly  obferved,  Firft,  that  the 
Adamical  inftitulion  was  exprefsly  no  inilituticn  to  eternal  life, 
but  only  a  temporary  difpenfat^ion  for  the  trial  of  man,  accord- 
in?^  to  whole  condutl  the  courfe  of  nature  was  to  be  eftablifhed 
in  this  world.  Secondly,  thit  Adam  and  the  Patriarchs  were 
believers  in  Chrift  to  come,  and  became  entitled  to  fpirituai 
and  eternal  benefits  only  thereby. 

Thirdly)  the  law  of  nature,  and  the  moral  law  as  then  revealed 
and  known,  was  their  rule  of  life,  as  being  in  a  Hate  of  grace 
by  a  belief  of  the  promife. 

Fourthly,  they  had  certain  rites,  ceremonies,  and  obfervances 
of  a  typical  nature,  enjoined  upon  them,  to  lead  them  to  Chrift, 
and  which  were  to  laft  until  the  gofpel  covenant  was  made. 
Thefc  types  were  various  and  numerous,  hiftcrical,  real,  and 
pcrronal.  The  whole  hiftory  of  the  Jews, their  bondage  in  Egypt 
under  Pharaoh,  their  deliverance,  their  travels  in  the  wilder- 
ncfs,  paffing  Jordan,  fettlement  in  Canaan,  &c.  were  typical  of 
Ipiritual,  chrillian,  and  heavenly  matters.  Mofes,  JoQiua,  the 
High  Prieft,  their  judges,  deliverers,  kings,  were  perlbnal  types 
of  Chrift.  The  brazen  ferpent,  manna,  rock,  &c.  were  real 
types  of  him.  Some  types  were  charafteriftical,  and  defcrip- 
live  types  of  him,  the  moft  noted  was  the  pafchal  Lamb,      If 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  255 

that  Lamb  had  been  rational  and  prcphetic,  he  would  havs 
fpoken  thus  in  the  perfon  of  his  charafter,  and  fomc  part  would 
apply  to  himfelf,  and  fome  to  Chrift.  "I  am  a  perfect  unblcm- 
ifhed  Lamb,  fet  apart  on  the  tenth  day  of  ihe  month  Nil'an-, 
put  to  a  bloody  death  on  the  fourteenth  :  I  am  facrificed,  my 
llefh  is  roafted,  my  blood  is  fprinkled  :  I  am  the  Lord's  palF- 
over,  they  pierce  my  hands,  but  not  a  bone  of  me  is  broken, 
they  who  fee  me  laugh  me  to  fcorn,"  &c. 

This  is  true  of  the  Divine  Lamb,  and  was  proper  to  tha 
Pafchal  Lamb,  applying  fome  of  it  to  the  typical  and  fome  to 
the  antitypical  Pafchal  Lamb  who  was  facrificed  for  us. 
Their  ceremonial  types  were,  fymbols,  patterns,  or  fliadows,  o§ 
heaven  and  heavenly  things.  Some  were  hiflorically  commem- 
orative, as  their  fabbaths  and  feafts  :  others  (ignificative  of  moral 
purity,  as  incenfe,  fait,  the  dilcarding  leaven,  circuracifion,  their 
ablutions,  abftinences,  and  fuch  more.  Their  facriBces  wers 
either  typical  of  Chnfl's,  or  of  the  fpiritual  facrifices  of  chrii- 
tians  ;  and  efpecially  did  the  blood  of  their  covenant,  typify  the 
blood   of  Chrill  in  the  new  teflament. 

3.  The  firft  tcfta-diCnt  or  covenant  involvful  in  itj  the  hply 
fpiritual  moral  law,  as  a  covenant  once  fubfiOjing  between  God 
and  rationals,  with  refped  to  their  fpiritual  and  eternal  interefts. 
The  fifil  covenant  literally  and  primarily  refpeiled  their  bod- 
ily interefts  cxprcjsly ^  and  \.\\€\\:  foul  interefts  covertly.  Ths 
moral  law  never  was  an  effe61ual  inltitution  to  eternal  life,  or 
any  covenar>t  between  God  and  men,  in  this  worlds  for  any  fuch 
purpoie.  But  it  had  been  a  covenant  of  li?e,  ordained  to  con- 
tinue life  to  unlapfed  rationals.  vci  God'i  original  kingdoin, 
and  having  been  violated  by  fome  angels,  and  by  ail  human 
rationab,  it  could  not  give  life  to  tranfgrelFors.  Yet  it  is  held 
forth  to  men  to  teach  them  their  eonditixnn  under  and  by  it,  and 
what  they  deferve  if  the  law  had  its  courfe.  However  true  it 
may  be  that  the  doer  of  the  hw  fhill  be  ju[l:fi.jdj  a;id  ihit  un- 


0 


OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT, 


finninjy  obedience  renders  the  reward  of  debt  :  it  is  equally 
true  that  it  curfeth  every  one  that  doth  not  obey  it  in  all 
things.  And  this  is  the  legal  condition  of  all  mankind.  But 
G<d  is  not  imputing  to  the  world  their  trefpaffes  according  to 
Ia\^  5  and  offers  them  a  cov^enant  to  lay  hold  of,  which  contains 
a  law  that  can  give  life.  And  if  they  rejeft  this  offer  they  will 
be  condemned  to  zforcr  punifnment  for  their  unbelief,  than 
death  without  mercy  by  the  law  of  Moles,  even  the  fecond 
death. 

The  law  is  good  if  ufed  lawfully,  to  convince  of  fin,  guilt 
snd  condemnation,  and  of  the  need  of  Chrift  to  end  it  for  right- 
eoulnefs.  But  God  doth  not  require  obedience  to  the  law  as 
the  condition  of  life,  but  faith  in  Chrift.  Rom.  x.  9.  Dr. 
Watts  faith,  "  That  when  St.  Paul  defigned  to  reprefent  the 
original  covenant,  and  the  conditions  of  it,  do  and  live,  curfed 
is  every  one,  &c.  he  doth  it  by  quotations  out  of  the  old  tefta- 
ment,  becaule  the  language  of  the  JewiQi  covenant,  is  the  lan- 
guage aUo  of  the  original  covenant,  and  God  governed  them 
mucli  in  that  way  v/ith  regard  to  their  temporal  rewards  and 
punilhments."  On  the  other  hand  he  faith,  '•  When  St.  Paul 
fpeaks  of  fpiritual  matters,  or  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  as  it 
thcnexifted,  which  was  only  in  prophecy,  type  and  figure,  he 
cites  the  Jewifti  fcriptures,  becaufe  they  direft  to  eternal 
life  by  teibfying  of  Chrift."  Thus  the  righteoufnefs  of  faith 
was  witneffcdto  by  the  law  and  the  prophets.  The  firft  cove- 
nant was  faulty,  elfe  there  would  have  been  no  room  for  the 
fecond,  as  being  weak  through  the  flefli. 

III.  Of  the  new  teftament,  covenant  and  law. 
Tni's  is  cffentially  and  fpecificaliy  different  from  the  old,  noc 
only  in  its  mode  of  adminiftration,  but  in  the  very  ?natter  of  it, 
A  le^al  dilpcnfation  of  the  coven;uit  of  grace,  is  contrary  to 
the  fcnpture  notion  of  law  and  grace.  If  the  old  teftament  was 
the  firft  edition  of  the  new,  as  forac  fpcak,   it  was   an   edition 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  25^. 

€>f  a  teftament  not  made.  Thefe  two  tefiament?  are  as  diftln^t 
as  oil  and  water,  and  will  never  mix,  but  will  feparate  them- 
felves  however  fhook  together. 

The  charafter  of  nezonefs  which  is  eflfential  to  chriflianity, 
was  a  great  objeftion  againft  it,  at  its  rife,  and  a  principal  caufti 
of  its  ill  reception  and  treatment  in  the  world.  Several  Ro- 
man Emperors  in  theiredi6ls  againfl:  it,  and  its  profetfors,  give 
it  as  a  reafon,  that  it  was  a  new  fupcrjiition^  and  they  had  for*, 
faken  the  ancient  religion.  The  pagans  brought  Paul  to  Areo- 
pagus to  know  wha{,  the  7iczo  do^rinCf  whereof  he  fpake,  was. 
A6ts.  xvii.  19.  They  reproached  chriftianity  with  be-.ng  a 
new  religion,  but  of  yeflerday  compared  with  their  ^ncu'n^  reli- 
gions. People  in  general  have  a  great  and  often  an  extravagant 
veneration  for  antiquity,  they  glory  in  it,  and  are  governed  by 
it.  Bellarmine  brings  this  as  one  proof,  that  the  RomiCh  is  the 
true  church  :  but  in  this  they  muft  yield  to  the  pagans,  the 
Pantheon  is  older  than  Peter's,  and  the  gods  of  the  nations  are 
as  fit  objefts  ofworfhip,  zsihcxr  2i\\  faints  are. 

When  Luther  began  the  reformation,  a  great  clamor  v/as  raif- 
ed  againft  the  nezonefs  of  his  doftrine,  and  the  fewnefs  of  its 
abettors.  In  feme  cafes  the  fcriptures  fpeak  favorably  of 
antiquity  :  ancient  and  honourable  are  joined  together  :  na- 
tions have  contended  for  it,  cuftoms  acquire  authority  by  if, 
and  obtain  the  force  of  laws.  What  hath  ftood  the  fliock  of 
ages,  fecms  to  be  allied  to  the  ancient  of  days.  But  in  {'ome 
refpefts  oldncfs  is  a  difparagement.  Old  teftament,  old  roar, 
old  ferpent,  old  things,  oldnefs  of  the  letter,  old  wives  fables^ 
&c.  are  fpoken  againft.  The  new  creation^  new  tePtamenr, 
new  man,  new  wine,  new  fong,  &c.  are  reprefented  as  mofh 
excellent,  Man's  attachment  to  old  creeds,  catechifms,  and 
confeffions,  and  averfifin.to  what  is  new  have  tended  to  fup- 
prefs  the  habit  of  thiiiking,  and  the  following  precedents  in 
divinity,  hath  lengthened,  and  flrengthened  the  chain  of  error. 


25^  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT, 

The  heathen  were  fo  tenacloas  of  their  ancient  rites,  that  it 
was  death  by  the  Grecian  and  Roman  laws  to  introduce  a  nciv 
religion,  or  to  deny  that  which  they  had  received  by  tradition 
from  their  fathers.  And  even  in  this  enlightened  age,  the  de- 
nial of  old  errors,  and  advancing  new  fcripturc  truths  expofes 
him  that  dares  it,  to  be  hard  thought,  and  evil  fpoken  of,  and 
It  is  regretted  they  can  proceed  no  farther.  Chriftians  who 
are  naen  of  the  new  tellament,  covenant,  and  law,  ought  not  to 
be  afraid  of  new  truths  deduced  from  fcripture  by  an  impartial 
Icarch  after  truth  with  unfettered  minds.  But  to  gratify  fuch 
as  arc  fond  of  antiquity. 

a  Chriftianiiy  fliall  be  proved  to  be  the  oUeJi  faving  reli- 
gion this  world  ever  faw,  that  it  is  as  old  as  the  creation  in  a 
belter  ienfe  than  Tinal's  book,  With  this  title  afferts,  nay  older 
than  the  world  itfelf.  The  Athenians  called  the  thirtieth  day 
of  their  month,  when  the  moon  was  both  old  and  new,  old  2ind 
new.  Nou'  although  the  chriftian  religion  was  not  formed 
into  a  tcftament  covenant  and  law,  until  the  blood  of  Chrift 
was  Died  :  Yet  it  w^s  of  primary  dejign  with  God  in  the  crea- 
tion of  this  world,  and  in  the  fore  ordination  of  Chrift,  and  our 
cleftion  in  him,  it  was  even  before  the  foundation  of  tlie  world, 
I.  Pet.  i.  20.  Eph.  i.  4.  Titus  i.  2.  II.  Tim.  i.  9.  What  is 
foreordained'  or  pr'omifed  to  come,  may  be  certain,  but  its 
cxsftcnce  is  only  m  the  mind  of  the  foreordainer  or  promifor, 
or  of  thofe  who  believe  therein.  And  when  what  was  foreordain- 
ed or  promifed  halh  come,  that  thing  orpcrfon  may  be  faid  to 
be  before  all  things  and  perlbns  which  came  into  being  ^<f^r 
iuch  fcireordination  (^rpromife,  or  in  order  to  their accomplifli- 
rnent.  What  is  foicoidained  hath  not,  but  muft  com.e  to  pafs 
III  its  nine  :  and  wh.u  is  fi;reordained  confequentially,  and 
luboidinuely  to  the  fii  ft  foreurduiation,  and  in  order  to  its  fuf- 
ftlracnl.  even  though  it  exift  prior  in  the  or4er  of  time  ro  the 
•ctual  being   of  what  was    hrfl  foreordained,    yet  is  after  it  in 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  259 

• 

the  divine  conftitution  and  fuccefTion  of  things.      And  In   this 
fenfe  Chriji  is  before  all  things.   Colof.   i.  17.      He  had  no  per-       - 
fonal  exldcnce   as  Jelus    the  Son  of  God  until  his   geneiaucm 
and  nativity  at    Bethlehem,    nor   official  being  as  Chrift  until 
hisunaion  with  the   Holy   Ghoft  at  his    baptilm    by  John,  for 
then  Jefus  was  made  Chrift,  and  not  Chiift  made   Jdus.      He 
could    not  therefore  be  before  all  things   in  aaual  being  as  to 
time,  as  Jefus  or  Chrift,  unlefs  the  all   things  are  to  be  under- 
ftoodof  the   new  created  all  things  by    him.      Its  being  in  the 
prefent  tenfe,  and  predicated  of  Jefus  after  he  was  made  Chrift 
as  officers    are    made,  fhews  that  he   is  the  fiift  and  before   all 
things,  in   the  divine    defign,    fucceftion    and  order  of  things. 
Chrift  and  his  religion  was    firft  in  the  divine    predeftination, 
and  is  firft  in  the  fuccefTion  and  order  of  things.      They   are  for 
him  and  not  he  for  them.      If  Chrift  had  not  been  c{ioftrn  firft, 
we  could  not  have  been  chofen  in   him.      And  after  the   crea- 
tion of  this  fyftem  and  of  man,    there  hath  been  no  other   way 
to  obtain  eternal    life   but   as  the   gift  of   God    through  Jelus 
Chrift  our  Lord,   as  to  come,  or  as    come.      Abftinoice  from 
the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  prevented  a  penil 
fubjeaion  to  natural  death,  but  the  tree  of  life  a  type  of  Chri;h 
was  to  give  him    life.      Adam    might    be    let  farther    inio    tbr 
plan  of   redemption    than  we    have    any    account  of.      In  tlic- 
inftitution    of    facrifices  he  might  be    told    their  reference    uy 
Chrift.      And  they  be' confidered,  by    fuch  as   oftered  them  in 
faith  as  Abel  did,  but  which  they   could  not  do  without  a  d\- 
vine  inftltution,    as  prefigurations  of  the  Lamb  ftain  from,  the 
foundation  of  the  world.     The  prediaive  curie  pronounced  up- 
on the  ferpent,  "That  the  feed  of  the  woman  fliould  bruifehis 
head,"  might  be  in    man's  hearing  ;   and  be  his    fupport   while 
hearing  his  own  fentence,  according  to  the   tru>^  import   of  tlje 
original  threatening.   Thou  fhalt  die,  i.  e.  naturally  and  penally, 
for  duft  thou  art  and  unto  duft  ftjalt  thou    return.      That    'J;. 


ffo  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT, 

cuiTe  fhouM  be  the  firfi;  blefTing  through  Child  is  a  miftake  of 

This  world  never  would  have  been  made,  nor  man  created 
cf  the  earth  earthy,  nor  natural  and  corruptible  as  ilefh  and 
blood  are,  and  were,  if  God  had  not  purpofed  their  falvaiion  by 
(Inift.  Eph.  iii.  ii.  The  offspring  and  children  of  God  the 
Father  of  Spirits,  are  here  made  partakers  of  flefh  and  blood, 
nnd  rank  with  beads,  being  fubjeft  to  this  vanity,  not  willingly, 
hut  by  him,  (God)  who  fubjefted  them  in  hope  of  deliverance, 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  with  full  redemption  and  fal- 
vaiion by  Chrift,  Heb.  ii  14.  Eccl.  iii.  18,  &c»  Rom.  viii.  20. 

The  antiquity  of  Chrift  and  his  religion  is  implied  in  thefe 
words  of  Chrift  to  the  Jews.  *•  Your  father  Abraham,  rejoic- 
ed to  fee  my  d  ly  he  faw  it,  and  was  glad.  Then  faid  the  Jews, 
thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  haft  thou  feen  Abraham  ? 
Jofus  {aid  unto  them,  verily,  verily,  I  fay  unto  you,  before 
y\braham  was.  I  am."  John  viii,  5b,  57,  58.  Thefe  words  have 
been  ftrangely  roifqnderftood  by  great  and  good  men,  as  well  as 
by  thefe  captious  Jews.  They  have  tried  to  prove  from  them 
the  prior  exiftence  of  Chrift  to  Abraham,  the  very  thing  which 
is  denied  :  nay  that  theexpreftion  I  am^  imports  him  to  be  the 
J  am  that  /  aju  which  fpake  to  Mofes.  Exod.  iii.  13,  14. 
And  Mr.  Henry  that  he  might  be  right  hath  two  contradiftory 
interpretations.  Before  Abraham  was  I  am  Jehovah.  Before 
Abraham  was  I  am  the  Mediator.  The  text  in  Exodus  is  total- 
ly foreign  to  this.  There  it  fignifies  "  I  will  be  what  I  vi^as, 
I  w!il  be  in  fa^l  what  I  was  in  promlfe."  I  will  be  the  true 
God  conftant  to  my  promlfe  made  to  your  Fathers  as  it  is  ex- 
pUincd.  v.  15,  "Thus  flialt  thou  fay  unto  the  children  cf  I frael, 
]chovah  the  God  of  your  fathers  hath  lent  me  unto  you,  this 
IS  my  name  for  ever,  and  my  memorial  unto  all  generations." 
Again,  "  I  appeared  unto  Abraham  by  the  name  of  God  Al- 
fni^h!y,but  by  my  name  Jehovah   wa§  I  not  known  to  theme" 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  261 

Exod.  vli.  3.  They  knew  his  name  to  be  Jehovah,  but  they 
did  not  know  him  by  the  reality  of  what  that  name  fignifies, 
ajuljilkr  oj his  promijts.  The  name  Jehovah  denotes  the  vtrity 
of  his  being  as  oppofcd  to  falle  gods,  and  the  certainty  of  his 
fulfilling  what  he  had  prornifed.  Here  was  propriety  in  the 
affumption  of  this  name,  and  fending  Mofes  under  it,  to  dcchue 
his  raeflfagc. 

But  the  words  of  Chrifl:  have  no  relation  to  any  name  or 
promiCe,  but  only  predicate  feme  thing  of  himfelf.  Dr.  Sher- 
lock faith,  "  The  words  are  a  mere  folccilm,  and  according  to 
analpgy  of  language  exprefs  nothing  :  no  idea  belongs  to  ihem  : 
for  a  man  cannot  in  his  mind  carry  the  prefent  time  back  and 
make  it  antecedent  to  the  time  already  paft  ;  and  therefore  to 
fay,  before  fuch  a  thing  was,  I  am,  is  fnuffling  ideas  together, 
which  can  have  no  place  in  the  mind  or  underiianding."  Ana 
after  all  he  will  have  this  no  meaning  exprcfTion,  I  am,  to  fig- 
nify  eternity  and  permanency  of  duration. 

Chrifl:  had  faid  feveral  things  to  thefe  captious  Jews,  which 
appeared  to  them  as  riddles  or  untruths,  by  ufing  words  in  one 
fenfe  and  they  underftanding  them  in  another.  *'  If  a  man  keep 
my  faying  he  fhall  never  fee  death."  For  this  they  tell  hira. 
he  had  a  devil.  So  here,  by  **  Before  Abraham  was  I  am," 
they  underftood  him  as  faying  he  was  before  Abraham  in  time, 
that  he  had  feen  Abraham,  and  Abraham  had  feen  him,  but  he 
faith  nothing  like  this,  or  any  thing  that  implies  it,  but  rather 
the  reverfe.  Abraham  defired  to  fee  his  day^  he  Taw  it,  but  it 
was  future  to  Abraham  :  It  is  the  gofpel  day,  the  time  of  his 
coming  in  flefh,  as  the  feed  in  whom  all  nations  were  to  be 
bleffed.  Abraham  faw  this  day  as  to  come,  by  faitii,  but  he 
could  not  have  feen  it,  if  that  day  had  not  been  before  Abraham 
in  the  divine  defign,  promife  and  fuccefTion  of  things.  To 
take  in  the  fenfe  we  mull  read  it  thus,  "'licfore  Abr.iham  wns 
barn  or   made  in    his  day,  I  am  the   Chrifl  in  my  day.      Our 


462  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT, 

tranflatois  have  left  this  text  without  their  iifual  addition.  I 
am  ;  What  ?  In  other^places  they  fupply  the  word  Chrijl  ox 
hf,  Jt'hn  iv.  26.  viii.  24,  28.  xiii.  19.  and  if  they  had  done  it 
here,  much  learned  labour  to  obfcure  a  plain  aiTertion  might 
have  been  prevented.  One  of  Mr.  Heniy's  interpretations  is 
true,  but  the  other  cannot  be  true  where  he  applys  it  to  the 
Tthovah  of  Mofes.  *'  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am  the  Mediator, 
he  was  appointed  the  Mefliah  long  before  Abraham,  the  Lamb 
flain  fnom  the  foundation  of  the  world."  The  learned  Grotious 
faith,  "  Chrift  was  before  Abraham  by  divine  conftitutions 
and  appointment."  This  needs  the  following  addition.  "  In 
ihc  order  and  fuccefiion  of  things,  in  the  divine  conftitution, 
before  Abraham  was  in  his  day,  I  am  the  Chriil  in  my  day." 
Chrift  as  a£lually  exifting  in  his  day,  had  an  antientry  to  all 
old  teftament  faints.  If  Chrift  had  not  been  foreordained  to 
coxe,  and  ccnficcrcd  as  come  in  his  day,  by  that  God  who 
calleth  things  that  arc  not,  as  though  they  were,  there  would 
have  been  no  this  world,  no  Adam,  no  Abraham  or  their  econ- 
omies of  religion.  The  realexifteacecf  Chrifl  in  his  day  as 
Mediator  and  Maker  of  the  new  tftftament,  is  the  antecedent 
and  procuring  caufe  of  all  the  faving  benefits,  which  Abraham 
and  the  ancient  faints  enjoyed,  and  what  he  was  to  be,  and  do 
in  his  day,  is  the  only  confideration  for  which  they  were  gran- 
ted. Suppofmg  that  in  the  divine  mind  which  views  z\\  futu- 
rities as  realities,  it  had  been  determined,  that  A  B  and  C 
fhould  never  have  been  brought  into  being  in  this  world,  nor, 
being  criminals,  enjoyed  liberty  and  life,  in  the  days  of  Mo/eSy 
but  in  confideration  of  what  Davidzcas  to  be  and  do  in  his  day  : 
and  this  had  beer,  revealed  to  thcfe  criminals,  and  then"  belief  of 
It  was  the  condition  of  their  liberation  :  David  might  fay, 
Before  thcfc  men  were  in  their  day,  I  am  in  my  day  ;  becaufe 
if  it  had  not  been  for  me,  they  would  not  have  been  :  I, 
i\\o\x^\\afttr  thimin  time,  am  before  them    in  the  fuccefiion  of 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  563 

things,  and  the  caufe  of  their  being,   and  being  what    they  are 
in  their  day. 

Thus  we  are  to  underftand  what  John  faith,  "He  that  cometh 
after  me,  is  preferred  before  me,  for  he  was  before  ir.e."  John 
iii.  16.  He  was  before  me,  not  zVz  ^iW,  for  this  would  contradi6t 
what  he  had  faid  of  his  coming  after  him,  but  in  dignity  :  Protos 
cenmoii  he  was  firfl  to  me,  or  my  chief  in  dignity,  as  he  is  pre- 
ferred before  me  in  efteem.  Chrift  was  after  John  in  time,  hut 
before  him  in  eftimation,  and  dignity,  as  the  Prince  is  before  the 
harbinger  that  prepares  his  way, 

Chrift  and  the  new  teftament  therefore  in  the  divine  conPci-* 
tution  of  things  and  perfons,  are  before  this  wcrid  and  ail 
things  in  it.  If  God  had  not  predeftinated  hicn  ar:d  his  reli- 
gion, before  the  worjd,  there  would  have  been  no  this  world, 
Mofaic  creation,  Adam,  Abraham,  no  firfl:  covenant,  nor  John 
the  Baptift;  to  prepare  his  way.  And  m  this  way  we  are  to 
underftand  our  Savior.  "Glorify  me  with  thine  own  feif, 
with  the  gloiy  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was. 
And  thou  lovedft  me  before  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
This  was  only  in  divine  foreordination  and  decree,  and  in  viv'iw 
of  his  doing  his  mediatotial  work.  It  is  mediatorial  and  not 
eftential  glory  he  pravs  for,  it  is  this  he  now  enjoys,  r.nd  gives 
fome  of  it  to  his  difciples,  as  the  Father  gave  it  to  him,'  but  sis 
to  elTential  glory,  if  he  had  poffefted  any  before  the  world  vvaj>, 
as  he  did  not,  he  doth  not  pofTefs  it  now,  and  would  not  while 
the  mediatorial  lafted,  and  fo  his  prayer  is  not  anfwered,  nor  iikj 
to  be,  until  he  delivers  up  the  mediatorij;!,  which  is  tli^  loii 
honorable,  and  returns  to  the  elfential  glory  :  So  that  according 
to  the  common  interpretation,  the  exaltation  of  Chrift  h  a 
leal  degradation  to  hira.  Thus  fcholaftics  by  their  repuud 
orthodoxy  treat  their  Savior. 

2,   Yet  the  gofpel  teftament  covenant  and   law,   as  t)  aHudl 
creation  and  ejlablijhmcnt  ismw, 


i64  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAiMENT, 

Its  preexidence  was  in  purpofe,  prophecy,  prortiife  type, 
figure,  and  in  the  treatment  of  believers  according  to  it.  It  was 
real  in  futurity  before  God,  and  in  the  benefits  rebounding  to 
believers  by  it.  But  as  Jefiis  Chrifl:  had  no  peffonal  aftual 
being,  or  manifeflation  until  (.he  lafl  times  of  the  Jewifh  ftate  : 
and  we  read  of  no  prior  afts  of  the  preexident  foul  of  Chrift, 
and  if  we  did,  fuch  afts  .would  not  be  the  afts  of  the  perfon  of 
Jefus  ChriH;.  a  perfon  afterwards  conftituted,  and  who  when 
conllitutcd,  was  of  yefterday  as  to  a6lual  being,  though  he. is, 
and  ever  will  be  the  fame,  to  day  and  forever.  Neither  was 
there  any  new  (eftament  made  but  by  means  of  his  death  and 
blood  filed.  Chriftianity  diflinguifheth  things  into  old  and 
rew  :  and  the  old  things  are  firfi:  in  time,  had  an  aftual  eflab- 
lifhment  prior  to  the  new  r^  and  the  exiflence  of  the  new  in 
the  times  of  the  being  of  the  old  was  in  fieri,  and  futuro  :  but 
to  carry  back  the  aflual  exiflence  and  eflablifhment  of  Jefus 
Chrifl  and  his  covenant  to  be  the  firft  in  lime,  makes  confufion 
worie  confounded  than  a  little. 

Good  Dr.  Watt's  with  much  learning  and  labour  in  his  dif- 
fertallon  on  the  glory  of  Chrift,  hath  fo  confufed  his  perfon 
that  noconfiftent  idea  can  be  formed  of  him.  Sometimes  he 
afts  as  a^  mere  human  foul,  fometimes  as  a  divine  angel,  and  at 
other  times,  as  a  human  angel :  and  anon  he  afts  as  an  underived 
<livine  nature,  and  again  as  a  diflinft  human  nature,  or  elfe  the 
iium:in  nature  and  divine  nature  are  united,  and  agency  afcrib- 
cd  to  the  two  united  properties.  If  this  is  not  confufion  con- 
founded, what  is  ?  What  idc.^  can  be  affixed  to  exaltation  of 
the  hum^n  nature  ?  Is  it  changed  into  the  divine  nature  ?  Or 
doth  the  communion  or  communication  of  properties  thefchool 
men  fpt:iii  fo  much  ofj  run  one  into  another,  and  twifltwo  non 
agents  into  one  ?  And  from  this  indi(lin6lnefs  and  indetermin- 
atencfs  concerning  the  perfon  of  Chrifl;,  hath  arifen  a-  con* 
fufion   about    the  new    tcftnmcnt,    confounding   it    with   th« 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  263 

covenant  made  with  Abraham  by  the  blood  of  beaHis  and  birds 
wlien  it  is  rcially  the  new  teOrciment  in  Chrill's  blood,  aud 
cou-ld  not  be  m^de  until  his  blood  was  fiied.  Chriflloinky'* 
beinc'  the  new  tcflacn-ent  is    not  dillionorary  to  it. — For> 

1.  It  inioorts  ic  co  be  a  fettlement  nczcly  made,  and  publlflisd. 
For  as  the  appearance  of  Chrift  was  not  until  the  lafl  days  of 
the  world  preceding    the  world  to  come,  made  by  him  and  put 
in  fiibjetlion  to  him  :   So  the  new  teftament  was  made   to  put 
an  end  to  the  firll.      The  old,  though  ready  to    periQi  and  van-^ 
ifh  away,   continued  until  Chrill  blotted  out  the  hand  writing 
ofordinancesthat  was  agaiuft  us,  and  contrary  to  us,  and  took 
it  out  of  the  way.  nailing  it  to    his  crofs.    ColoH  i:.  14.      The 
ending   oi    the  fe^'eral  preceding  economies  by  the  death   of 
Chrift,  is  the  difpenfation  of  the   fulnels  of  times,  when  a  new 
:era  commenced,  and  a  new  fettlement  was  made.      Chiifl    was 
the    Alpha,  the  firll,   in  the  divine  conftitution  of  tilings,  and 
he   is  the    Oiwega,  the   Ua  in    the  divine  eftablidimcnt.      His 
covenant  is  not  only  new,  but  everiafting  ali'o,  becau(c  it  will 
not  ^ive  way  to  any  other.      It  is  true  that  in  condefccntion  to 
Tewifli  prejudices,  the  old  fettlement  was   fufiered  to  continue 
until    Jerulalem  and  -he  temple  were  deftroyed,    and   believers 
in  Chriil  were  tolerated  in  the  ufe  of  fonie  pas  ts  of  it,  not  fub- 
verfive  of    the  gofpel.      Through  fondnefi  to  tlieir.old  khcv..! 
mafter  to  Chrifl,  thev  conti-nued  under  it  when  they  might  have 
been  totally  free.      But  when   j-rufalem  and  thetcmp'.e  were 
no  more,  old  things  paliVrd  away,  and  all  things  became   new  by 
aaual  eft«ib!iaimcnt. 

2.  The  epithet  of  new  denotes  chriflianlty  to  be  a  fsiriement 
of  a  ntw  and  difTerent  kind,  nature,  and  qu-llry  from  ihe  old, 
Tiic  verv  nature  atid  elTence  of  it  is  ntw,  as  well  as  the  form 
nnd  admii:'MTfation  :  tho.dih'-rcnc^  is  (pecifical  in  all  things. 
St.  Auguaine  laith,  ''  Moffts  delivered  a  law  in  Mount  Sin.i,- 
which  is  billed  theold  teftament,  becaufe  it  had  eavlhly  promi- 


i6o  OF  THE  NEW  TESrAMENT, 

frs.  r.wii  bv  Jc;as  Chriil;  a  new  teflament  is  come  in  which  the 
ki'gdom  of  heaven  is  prcmifed.  This  therefojc  is  the  better 
!e(^J3mcnf  :  Heb  xiii.  6.  better  in  its  whole  kind. 

-.    It  is  a  Tettlcment  of  entire  MZi)  matters. 

Public  civil  fetllements  are -converfant  about  at;z7  fociety-y 
cominlon  anji  fovereignty,  fuhje6tion  and  loyalty,  the  fecurity 
of  life,  liberty  and  property,  and  about  civil  religicius  piety  and 
virtue,  in  order  to  national  exaltation. 

But  the- things  of  this  {ettlement  are  new  matters  of  divine 
fovercignty  and  fubjeclion,  fpiritual  religious  piety  and  virtue, 
of  n  new  kind  of  life,  warfare,  learning,  freedom,  nobility,  cit- 
izen Pnip,  heirfnip  and  inheritance.  "  May  ws  hear,  what  this- 
dottrine  is  whereof  thou  fpeakeil  ?  For  ihou  bringcil  certain 
ftrangc  things  to  our  ears,  we  wguld  know  therefore  what  thefe 
things  mean  ?"  A£ls.  xvii.  i  o,  l>o.  All  the  matters  of  chrif- 
tianity  are  new,  and  flrange  to  the  non  initiated.  Even  the 
old  commands  which  were  from  the  beginning  are  new,  as  enaft- 
ed  by  a  new  authority,  given  to  new  fiibjefts,  and  as  to  be 
obeyed  from  new  principles,  in  a  new  riianner,  and  with  new 
mearares  of  duty.  The  well  inftrufted  fcribc  will  bring  out  of 
bis  trcafurc  thefe  o/i  and  r.tn)  things. 

4.  Chrin;i2nity  may  be  f;.l]cd  vnv  upon  account  of  its  un- 
cotiimon  excellency  and  goodnefs. 

In  good  authors  newnefs  is  attributed  to  things  great  and 
:,ood..  of  an  rxccllcnt  quality,  and  tforthy  of  admiration.  Thus 
tiic  Athenians  and  firr.ngrrs  fpcnt  their  time  in  nothing  eife, 
but.  cither  to  tell  or  he.ir  fomc  new^  that  is,  fomc  great,  v.onder- 
r.-.l.'.Tid  unurually  good,  thinr,  A61-.  xvii.  21.  This  may  be 
♦ho  fcnfe  v.-hrn  wc  rend  of  nezo  heavens,  new  earthy 
7ic'\r  xniv.,  new  crciture,  new  na'ne  and  new  long  :  that  is  tlie 
t^i-fl.  The  AT;mortal  j-.y  v.- hi ch  is  the  wine  of  tlu.  kingdom  ' 
is  called  netL\X'i  denote  its  fuperlative  nature  -•''!  r,vr,>^ '--.."•.. 
The  nctii  is  the  (^rent  ^oc*d,  end  hrjl  tcfioj^icni. 


COVENANT,  OR  LAW.  g^ 

5»  Its'name  «€zy  imports  its  perpetual  ncwnefs  in  oppoliuoii 
to  its  zuaxing  eld^  or  being  fuccceded  by  another. 
.  Upon  the  account  of  its  duration,  it  is  called  everlafting  as 
well  as  new.  For  though  it  is  of  .long  (landing  fujce  ;la^,4iiaih 
of  Cbrifl,  and  it  will  be  long  yet  to  its  end,  and  it  is  older  ftiU 
in  the  divine  predeftination,  and  will  be  eternal  in  its  cllcci.^. 
Yet  while  ic  lafti  it  will  be  always  new,  never  antiqaatecij  wura 
out,  or  fucceeded  by  another  :  and  will  remain  both  the  ,  ncu, 
and  evsrlajling  covenant, 

;.  Prom  the  premifes  it  may  be  inferred  that  to  be  a  chnilljn  is 
to  l>c  an  heir  of  the  new  tedaraent,  a  new  covenanter,  aud  a 
fubjed  of  the  new  kingdom  of  God.  As  the  Jev.s  were  the 
people  of  their  holy  covenant  fo  are  chriliians  ^i  tiieiis* 
Dan*xi.  28,  30.  The  church  is,  efpoufed  and  joine^,  .to  the 
Lord  by  a  marriage  covenant,  and  li.  the  Lamb's  ,\vifw;.  Ir 
Chrift  was  only  a  publillier  of  r:ew  doctrines  -^i  jijight,  iuflicc 
to  believe  his  fayings  :  or  if  he  wai  only  an  expiator.pf  lir:, 
it  might  be  enough  to  rely  upon  his  propitiation.  Bat,.fincc 
he  is  Lord  and.  Kiilg  in  his  fbte  of  reigning,  we  mufl  eniei 
his  kingdom,  and-beponie  his  liege  fubjecis  by  coyerjant.  ,  Ivi. 
human  kuigdoms  native  aliens,  are  iniuated  and  natur2liZ:::d  ^by 
confenting  to.  the  laws,  and  often  complicated  with,  fome  riiQ 
and  an  implicit  or  explicit  oath  to  the  foveieignty,  andevcy  by 
figning  artides  of  allegiance.  Ifai.  iciiv.  5.  The  chiifiuii 
covenant  is  of  affinity  to  the  Roman  foldiers  military  oath,,  who 
Iwore  to  follow  their  leader,  as  we  fwearto  follow  the  Lanib 
:it  all  adventures,  and  nut  to  forlake  him.  II.  Cor.  xiii.  5. 
Pi.  Ixxxvii.  5,  6.  Matt.  X.  37.  iv.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  be: 
a  chridian,  it  is  to   be  a  Ohrilt,  an  annointed  one.    , 

The  differences  between  tliefe  teriaraeots,  covenants,  and 
law,  are  many  and  great,  as  appears  evident  from  what  hdii; 
been  written. 

J,  Thev  differ  in  their  authois.  anu  mannei  v;f  lormatioi!. 


f6.%  OLD  AND  NEW 

For  though  they  are  both  God's  covenants,  and  the  fame 
natural  ])erlon  is  the  author  of  both,  yet  it  is  not  the  fame  po- 
litical peifon,  or  under  the  fame  relation  and  charafter.  Wheo 
he  cngiges  to  be  a  God  to  any  according  to  the  tenor  of  the 
fiifl  covenant  it  mull:  be  undcrfliood  in  a  civil  religious  fenfe, 
and  in  worldly  rc-fpefts,  and  not  in  that  (piritual  religious  fenfe 
wnich  the  fame  words  import  under  the  nevv'  covenant  ;  for  it 
is  certain  their  fpiritual  relation  came  not  by  the  firft  covenant 
which  hjQ  a  worldly  fanftuary,  but  by  the  abtoUite  promiis  of 
God  to  Abraham.  God  as  King  of  nations  was  King  and  God 
of  Iliael  in  a  peculiar  fenfe  :  But  as  King  and  God  of  faints 
he  r.romiled  Chrift.  and  made  the  ne\v  teftament  in  his  blood. 
Tlie  dcsih  and  blood  by  which  they  were  oiade  was  different  ; 
85,  to  the  firfl;  it  was  made  onl\y  by  the  blood  of  beaftj>  and 
birds  :  but  as  to  the  fccond  the  death  aad  blood  was  of  God, 
in  the  perfon  of  {he  Son,  manifeft  in  flefii. 
2.   They  differ  in  their  religionifls. 

All  under  the  firfl  covenant  merely  fuch  and  abftrafted 
froui  the  promifcs  were  in  the  flate  of  the  old  man,  under 
the  law,  and  not  having  the  fpirit  :  and  their  befl  obedience 
WW  like  Paul's  before  his  converfion,  originating  from  a 
birth  of  the  w^Jl  of  man,  as  unrenewed;  or  like  Amaziah's 
light  in  the  fight  of  the  L(5rd,  but  not  with  a  perfeft,  that  is 
renewed  heart.  They  were  Jews  outwardly,  but  the  religion- 
ills  of  the  new  covenant,  are  Ipiritual  Jews,  under  grace,  dead 
to  the  law,  new  }r):n,  believers,  and  ffee.  With  the  change  of 
the  prieflhood,  there  is  a  change  of  the  law,  and  of  all  who 
belong  to  the  chriflian  cenius  and  flate  of  things.  Gal.  li,  2p, 
fleb.  viii.  12.   Gal.   iii.  ig. 

3.   They  differ  ns  law  and  grace. 

The  fijft  is  mere  law,  having  an  unpleafing  harfhncfs  and 
rigour  in  the  manner  of  its  promulgat"on  and  treatment  of 
rhofe  under  it.      But  the  fecond  though  a  law,  is  a  law  of  grace 


TESTAMENTS  COMPARED.  26c) 

in  the  v.  hole  of  it,  and  tranfcendent  grace  and  kiiTciriers -ip pears 
in  all  pirts  of  it. 

The  holy  writers  cxhiuiil  the  po^-vers  of  language  in  magni- 
fying the  grace  of  God  in  the  gofpel,  calling  it  the  ^lory,  the 
richis^  the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace,  to  a  piconafm,  to  the 
abundance,  and  fuperabundance  of  grace.  Rorri.  v.  20.  It 
bindcth  no  heavy  burdens  grievous  lobe  borne.  Ic  is  a  law 
of  kindnefs,  not  a  pandeft  of  rigorous  inipofuions  :  itbre.^keth 
not  the  b;-uifed  reed,  nor  quencheth  the  fmoking  flax,  but 
brings  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  people  :  riches  to  the 
poor  in  fpirit,  eafc  a^d  rcfreflinient  to  the  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  the  balm  of  gllead  to  the  broken  hearted,  driiik  to  the 
thirfty,  the  bread  of  life  to  the  hungry,  liberation  to  prifoncrs 
and  captives,  juftification  to  the  ungodly  by  law,  and  life  to 
the  dead.  It  is  a  magazine  of  conlolation  to  the  penfive  and 
afflifted,  its  language  and  terms  are  of  fovereign  grace. 

4  They  differ  as  the  law  of  works  and  the  law  of  faith  ;  as 
our  own  righteoufnefs,  qnd  the  righteoufnefs  of  God  by  faith  ; 
as  the  deeds  of  the  law  and  good  works,  letter  and  fpirit  ;  con- 
demnation and  jijftification,  death  and  life  -,  unregener«cv  and 
regeneracy  :  as  bondage  and  fervitude  difTer  from  freedom. 
II,  Cor.  iii.  '7,  8,  9.  Heb.  viii.  8,  10,  11.  Gal.  ix.  22.  Col. 
iii.  9,  10.  fee  in  the  margi.i.  Tliey  difler  in  excellency  and 
perfeftion  and  duration  ;  as  type  and  antitype  ;  rhsdovv  and 
fubftance  :  And  in  many  other  particulars  too  many  to  be  en- 
ui»crated. 

Lajily,  They  differ  in  their  Mediator,  Mofes  and  Chtift.  the 
firfl  a  fcrvant,  the  fecond  a  Son,  &;c. 

5  Of  the  mediation  of  Chrift  under  the  new' teQament  orrov- 
enant.   Heb.  ix.   15. 

The  gofpel  hath  been  conCldered  as  the  meniatorial  creatior^, 
and  kingdom  of  God,  as  diPiinguifhcd  from  the  original  cc/nlli- 
tution  of  things,   in    which  no  meai.)tor   was  needed.      In    th<5 


OF  THE  MEDIATION  OF  CHRIST. 

N 1  Vila ic  economy,  and  before  God  held  intercourfe  with  men  '" 
iLrou'.'h  the  interpofilion  of  angels,  and  efpecially  of  one  fin- 
gulai  and  eminent  Angel  called  the  Angel  oj  God's  pre/ence  ; 
li'i.  Ixiii.  9.  for  the  meaning  of  this  fee  Eflher  i.  9.  In 
hi:n  God's  name  was.  Exod.  xxiii.  23.  This  Angel  always 
accompanied  the  divine  prefence  and  as  God's  nams  or  authority 
was  in  him,  fo  by  him  God  may  be  fappo(ed  to  have  fpoken 
to  Mofcs.  And  Mofcs  mediated  between  God  by  him,  and 
ihe  people  of  Ifrae!.  Jelus  Chrift  the  Son  of  God  is  no  where 
called  an  angel  without  diilinftion,  but  the  angel  or  melTenger 
of  the  covenant,  by  w.iy  of  prophecy.  Matt.  iii.  i.  as  to  come. 
As  his  covenant  was  not  made  until  his  blood  was  fhed,  he 
could  be  no  an^el  or  mefT^nger  of  the  covenant  until  then, 
only  in  foreordination  and  prophecy.  As  there  is  but  one 
God,  fo  there  is  but  one  mediator  between  God  and  men  in 
fpiriiual  rerpe£ls,  even  Chrift  Jefus.  The  mediation  of  Mofes 
was  in  temporal,  and  national  matters. 

1.  The  ofHce  of  a  mediator  is  not  of  one,  but   God  is  one. 
Gal.  iii.  20. 

There  is  no  room  for  a  mediator  where  there  is  but  one 
party  :  God  is  one  party  only  in  giving  the  promife  to  Abra- 
ham, and  therefore  there  was  no  mediator  of  the  new  teftament 
or  covenant,  while  that  exi (led  only  in  promiie.  The  law  cov- 
enant ordained  by  angels  had  Mofes  for  its  mediator,  who  ftood 
between  the  Lord  and  the  people  to  fliew  them  the  word  of 
the  Lord.  Deut.  v.  5.  Where  parties  are  a  grcedand  upon  an 
ciju-;Iiiy,  there  is  no  need  of  a  mediatorial  intcragent.  There 
was  none  between  God  and  holy  rationals  :  nor  between  the 
I'athcr  and  the  Son  in  the  covenant  df  redemption.  But  in 
^^^iving  iheliiw  there  was  God  by  the  angel  of  his  prefence  on 
one  part,  and  t!ic  people  on  the  other,  and  Mofcs  mediated  * 
between  them.  Even  Dr.  Whitby  allows  that  Chrift  was  not 
•vh'i   giver  of  the  law,  as  the  fuppofition   entir«iy  deProys   the 


OF  THE  MEDIATION  OF  CHRIST.  -71 

apodlcs  argument.  Heb.  ii.  i,  2.  3.  It  alfo  by  implication  is 
contrary  to  Heb.  i.  1.  But  then  the  Dr.  doth  not  luppc.'c 
any  angel  then  perlonated  God,  or  any  creature,  faid,  *-  I  am 
the  Lord  thy  Gcd,"  &c.  but  that  the  divine  m^jeily  ihere  prel- 
ent  with  his  thoufands  of  angels,  made  (pme  of  them  his  min- 
ifter  to  form  the  voice  by  which  he  laid,  "  I  am  Jehovi-.h,"  &c. 
It  is  not  (aid  the  angel  fpake.  A£ls.  vii.  30.  32,38.  Rut  if 
he  did,  fince  God's  name  or  authority  was  in  him,  his  churaiter 
was  very  difFerent  from  that  of  common  ambadadors  cf  Kings. 
Nor  is  there  any  incongruity  for  a  dignified  angel  efpecially 
commifTioned  to  radke  the  declaration,  I  ^m  Jehovah,  that  is  ia 
the  perfon  of  my  eharafter,  for  his  name  is  in  me,  and  I  belong 
to  his  preience.  We  want  not  inftances  of  Roman  amba-Xidors 
fpeaking  in  their  own  perfons,  *'  I  give  you  peace,  or  give 
you  war,"  whe.i  in  then;ime  of  the  fcnatc  and  people  of  Rome 
is  underftood.  Bcfides,  here  God  tells  them  tl^at  he  would 
(end  his  Angel  to  go  before  them,  and  that  as  his  name  was  in 
him,  the  pardon  or  punifhment  he  fliould  grant  or  infii£l  fnould 
be  certain.  He  was  prrperly  Jehovah'5  proxy^  or fubjl it uU\ 
and  if  any  bo'.ved  towards  him,  it  was  directed  to  his  principal . 
Asa  mediator  fuppofes  two  parties,  and  lome  difngreemen?.  (o 
he  afls  as  a  middle  perfon  to  bring  thera  toget?>cr,  and  if  poiTi-. 
ble,  {ho'vild  be  a  ^«:r  to  both. 

3.  Chrlfl  was  fit  to  be  a  mediator  between  God  and  jyien  by 
the  conflitution  of  his  perfon  of  two  natures  ellentially,  the 
human  and  divine,  and  by  his  after  aiTumption  of  the  jinnnal 
nature  of  man.  in  flelh. 

As  man  in  his  prcfcnt  (late  is  in  the  middle  Ixr-fv-L'^-en  tVo 
worlds  of  creatures.  an<»elicjl  and  animal,  and  in  his  fpirit  sllied 
to  the  former,  and  in  flcdi  and  blood  allied  to  the  larger  :  and 
to  both  m  his  conjunct:  perfon,  not  by  nny  didiucl  iubri-i'teace 
or  agency  of  one  nature  feporate  from  the  other  :  So  J^'HiS  u-n's 
born  human  divine,    the  brancli  oS   Jehovah,  and  k\v:.  v^.h'c"  1*: 


a72  OF  THE   MEDIATION  OF  CHRIST. 

branch  of  David  :  Ifai.  iv.  2.  Jerem.  xxiii.  5.  And  when  he 
came  10  ad  as  Chri:t  to  make  iiirm  like  to  his  brethren,  the 
childjen  oartckfis  of  (lelh  and  blood,  he  olio  himfeif  took  part 
ftf  the  fanie.  Ileb.  ii.  14.  Ecci-.  iii.  18,  19,  20.  Then  he  w,;S 
in  his  incarnate  huaiiliation  flates,  ihzman  God's  f el  Low,  and  the 
man  whofenatnc  is  th.c  branch,  and  affumed  the  humble  title  o£ 
the  Son  of  man.  While  he  was  in  fiefii  he  had  three  natures 
in  one  peilbn,  the  human  in  a  true  body,  the  divine^  in  {an6tity, 
una  the  animal  m  fledi  and  blood  ;  in  neither  nature  had  he 
any  dillina  lubfiftencc  or  Teparate  agency,  but  was  one  only 
intclli'-ent  at^cnt.  Thus  the  perfons  of  the  regenerate  are  now 
conftilutcd.  Jcfus  Chrift  at  his  death  put  otF  the  animal  na- 
ture, the  fljQi  and  blood  he  had  affumed  for  a  little  while, 
and  his  body  by  a  change  of  qualities  became  Ipintual  and  glo- 
rious at  his  lefurrcttion,  as  the  bodies  of  the  faints  will  be 
changed  like  unto  his«  He  was  therefoie  exactly  a  middle 
perfon  bctvv-een  God  and  men,  according  to  the  prelent  eitate  of 
the  fonsof  raeo,  that  God  might  manifeil  them.  A  middle 
perfon  between  God  the  Father  and  men,  and  not  between  the 
Trinity  and  men  ;  for  it  is  as  fuch  a  mi Jdle  perfon,  human 
divine,  that  he  is  the  fecond  perfon  in  the  trinity.  It  is  notic- 
ahle  that  as  mediator  he  is  called  the  77mn  Chrifi  Jefus,  and  he 
is  to  be  houourcd  as  the  Father  i.s  and  hath  all  judgment  com- 
mitted to  hia;  bccaufe  he  is,  or  zuas  the  Son  of  man  :  He  is  the 
vhin  ordained  to  judge  the  world.  Now  in  his  tranfa£lions 
with  God,  he  is  called  God,  or  the  Son  of  God  :  but  when  he 
^tia  in  God's  behalf  with  men,  he  is  called  man,  or  the  Son  of 
man.  So  th;it  in  his  treating  with  God  he  adumes  a  name  ex- 
prcfnvc  of  liis  divinity  :  But  in  hls'  trciting  with  men,  be 
ailunu's  the  more  familiar  name  of  man,  or  tiie  Son  of  man. 
The  ground  heicof  was  not  his  binh  of  a  woman  a  virgin,  -^s 
we  have  before  flicwn,  for  man  had  no  concurrence  therein, 
lu:  h:s  becoming  the  fecond  Adam,  when  hs  came;  from  heaven 


OF  THE  MEDIATION  OF  CHRIST.  273 

in  his  incarnate  ftate  :  That  ground  hath  now  ceafed  fined 
his  exaltation,  and  if  he  is  now  called  man  or  the  Son  of  man 
it,  is  not  for  what  he  is,  hut  hath  l>ecn,  and  is  now  more  properly 
like  to  the  Son  of  vian.  Rev,  i.  1 4. 

3.  Chrifl  is  amediator  in  refpeft  of  his  pofition  or  ftanding* 
*«  The    head    (imperial)  of  eveiy   man  (chriftian)  is  Chrifl, 

and  the  head  of  the  woman,  is  the  man,  and  the  head  of  Chrift 
is  God/'  "  Ye  are  ChriR's,  and  Chrifl  is  God.'*  I.  Cor.  xi. 
3.  and  23.  A  Father  muHbc  the  owner  of  his  Son,  He  is 
God's  exprefs  image  and  reprefentative,  fuftaining  his  perfon, 
veiled  with,  and  cxercipng  his  authority.  His  place  now  is 
of  God  over  all,  the  Father  alone  excepted.  The  authority 
he  hath  over  creatures  is  divine,  and  yet  not  felf  originate,  but 
given  powerj  like  to  Jofeph's  in  Egypt.  The  Father  is  the 
Fountain  of  life,  power,  and  divinity  to  him  :  and  he  is  the 
mediate  fource  of  all  to  us  :  Of  his  fullnefs  we  receive.  All 
that  the  Father  hath  are  hls^  given  into  his  hands  ;  and  what- 
foever  things  the  Father  doth,  that  doth  the  Son  likewife.  His 
Handing  is  like  that  of  the  angel  with  one  foot  in  heaven,  and 
the  other  on  earth,-  Witfi  his  hand  he  receives  from  God, 
and  gives  to  us,  and  our  returns  are  in  like  manner  to  him, 
and  through  him  to  God.  He  Hands  as  a  Days  man,. bst ween 
God  and  us,  and  is  the  medium  of  communication'^  and  the 
channel  of  conveyance.  Angels,  or  the  Angel  of  God's  prel' 
ence,  or  Mofes  fupplied  this  place,  before  Chrift  come,  but 
one  coming  after  tliem  is  mightier  than  they,  and  hath  concen- 
tred all  in  hirnfelf,  and  we  are  complete  in  hjra  who  fs  the 
head  of  all  principalities,  and  powers, 

4.  In  all  his  offices,  whole  bufln^fs,  funcrionj  and  agency, 
he  is  a  mediator. 

As  a  prophet  he  received  his  dolrine  from  God's  mO'it>, 
fpakeasthe  Father  taught  liim,  ?ind  hs  h;;d  learned,  and  us  he 
commanded,  and    imparfs    it   unto   u<i.      Hear    his   ts.Q:imniv, 


4^4  or  THE  iMEDIATION  OF  CHRIST. 

•'  l\c  tliat  (ent  me  is  true,  and  [  fpeak  to  the  world  the  things  . 
which  I  have  he.nd  of  him."  John  viii.  26.  and  iii.  31.  The 
revebtion  of  Jelus  Chiift,  which  he  fen?;  and  fignified  it  by 
his  angel  unto  his  fervant  John,  was  what  God  gave  unto  him 
to  JJiew  uiUo  his  fervants.    Rev.  i,  i,  2, 

rhis  raticnaliy'accounts  for  his  not  knowing  the  day  and 
hour  of  the  judgment,  in  the  days  of  his  flefli  :  that  it  was  not 
tlicn  revealed  to  him  as  it  may  be  at  prefent.  When  the  Fa- 
ther gave  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  hirafelf,  he  did  not  give 
him  his  own  infinite  uncicrflanding,  for  then  he  could  not 
have  incrtr.j'cd  id  zvifdom.  To  fay  he  knew  it  as  God,  but  not 
as  man,  or  he  knew  it  in  his  divine  nature,  but  not  in  his 
human  nature,  is  to  put  ajefuitical  prevarication  into  his  mouth, 
andis-ui  abfurdity  alfo,  for  neither  nature  is  an  inteileft,  intgi- 
ligcut  a^ent,  nor  a  Son  :  and  Jefus  Chrift  hath  not  two  intel- 
Icds.  We  know  of  no  difference  between  one  fpirit,  and 
another,  {imply  or  phyfically  conndered,  only  in  degree.  They 
all  idued  from  the  Father  of  Spirits  in  a  way  to  us  unknown, 
ana  partckc  of  his  ph\  iical  eiTence,  as  fpiriis.  We  now  diftin- 
^viUli  thefe  (pirits  into  angelical  and  human,  becaufe  of  the 
nitures  in  which  they  dwell,  or  of  the  modes  of  their  exiftence  ; 

ivat  thoie  of  ihe  human  clafs  may  have  been,  and  may  beagain 
'  ;  .al  to  the  angels  :  jaid  the  Ipuit  or  foul  of  Chrift  may  be 
int)  inficiy  fuperior  to  any  other  derived  fpirit,  and  yet  by  the 
T'H  de  of  its  exigence  Ihere,  increafe  in  wildom    and    knowledge 

'•.  Murs  do  and  receive  iis  intelligence  in  all  matters  relating  to 
..\zi'u:>t-\  horn  the  Father.  Thus,  the  Son  is  or  was 
11  of  lije  Father,  of  his  b(*[cm    coulIcI,  siod  dcc'Mcd 

.      .  ...■>  V.  liiinancJcd. 

His.pricflly  oflice  Is  mcdiatoi  ijl. 

t'lic'ls  prciciit  oflcrings  to  God  fur  the  people,   and  in    vir- 

1  VIC  thereof  imcrccGC   v  iih    God  in    ih^ir    behalf.      Tiie  ,aft  of 

'•'  '•!-:'  '    '  "  '^   •  ^  '  '■:'  (■!;  '   •    <  -  "'    to  accept  of  the  oblation  as  a 


OF  THE  MEDIATION  OF  CHRIST.  ^^5 

wnfom  for  the  offerer.  Chrifi;  offered  himfelf  a  pure  faciifice, 
and  hath  ftated  himfelf  in  the  prefence  of  God  to  patronize 
©ur  caule,  by  making  intercefion  for  the  tranfgreflbrs,  and  to 
blefs  in  God's  name.  *'  Through  him  by  the  fame  Ipirit  we 
haveaccefsto  the  Father." 

He  is  alfo  a  mediatorial  Savior-King. 

Though  his  authority  is  divine  and  fupremc  over  all,  uiz 
Father  alone  accepted  :  Yet  the  Father  gave  him  his  all  power 
and  authority  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  exalted  his  vvhole 
perfon,  not  the  human  nature  oniy,  to  the  throne  to  adailnifter 
the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  in  the  mediatorial,  not  orif'^inal  wav. 
All  things  are  of  God,  as  thg  fountain,  by  Jefus  Chrill  the  one 
Lord,  as  the  mediate  caufe.  We  are  iaved  by  God  our  S.?v- 
ior  through  Jefus  Chnft  our  Savior.  Titt.s  iii.  4,  5,  6.  God 
hath  placed  hira  over  his  houfe,  and  according  unto  his  word 
are  all  his  people  ruled  in  the  fupreme  way  of  regercy,  only  in 
the  throne  the  Father  is  greater  than  he.  Gen.  xli.  40.  John 
xiv,  28. 

5.  His  mediation  con'lds  in  aflin;;  for  both  prjiios,  treating 
with  God  in  the  behalf  of  rr.cn,  and  with  it, en  in  bcha-fcr 
God. 

Mofes  afted  for  both  God  and  men  under  the  ii:ft  coven  Vr.t  : 
fometimes  his  objeft  was  God.  and  fometimes  men.  But  Llnill 
a£ls  fn  a  higher  fphere  than  Mofes  in  procuring  and  executing 
the  covenant  :  it  was  mide  through  his  blood,  and  its  bielfings 
are  conferred  for  his  name's  fake  :  and  we  ate  accepted  in  him 
the  beloved.  He  executes  it  alfo,  for  he  is  the:  furety  of  ihe 
new,  not  the  old  teffament:  engaging  his  grace  to  enable  us 
to  fulfil  the  terms  of  it,  by  walking  not  after  the  fiefn,  but  after 
the  fpirit.   Rom.  viii.  4. 

6.   Elpecially    doth  he  njediate  in  making  pcsce. 

The  moral  univerfe  v/as  in  a  divided  poifure,  when  the  Fa- 
ther  fet   hira  forth  sis  a  propitiation,  and    reconciler,   to    ^.•.k<' 


fr^) 


OF  THE  MEDIATION  OF  CHRIST, 


peace  by  the  blood  of  his  crofs.  His  mediation  of  peace  is  a 
work  of  great  iropcrtance.  God  in  this  world  hath  ever 
treated  man  as  one  needing  to  be  at  peace  with  him  :  but  he 
rever  :nade  man  at  firft  in  fuch  a  flate  of  variance,  enmity,  or 
alienation.  Adam  came  into  being  in  paradifc  in  a  ftate  of 
deficiency  and  impcrfeftion  as  to  fpirituals,  though  complete  as 
to  naturals.  His  maker  was  kind  to  him,  and  ufed  means  to 
rcjicrs  him  to  fomething  he  now  wanted,  and  was  once  poffef- 
ied  of.  The  tree  of  life  a  type  of  Chrift,  lerved  to  fhew  him 
what  he  v.'anled,  and  where  it  was  to  be  found  :  and  his  local 
fubordination  to  the  fpiritual  wickedneffes  in  serial  heavenly 
places,  even  though  in  a  paradife  was  a  folemn  leffon  to  him 
of  his'prefent  degraded  and  deranged  ftationfrom  his  firft  eftaic, 
and  own  habitation.  In  this  fuuation  of  things  Chrift  is  fore- 
erdained,  and  prophecied  of.  We  read  much  of  the  peace 
that  was  to  be  in  the  Meffiah's  day.  And  in  the  gofpel  we 
find  him  to  be  our  peace,  having  made  peace,  and,  reconciled 
all  things  in  heaven  and  earth,  jurally,  and  is  aftually  reconcil- 
ing men  to  God,  angels  and  men,  jews  and  gentiles  to  each 
ether,  to  make  all  one,  which  will  terminate  his  mediation, 

-y.  Chrift  is  a  mediator  as  the  way  to  the  Father  :  John  xiv» 
6.  Eph.  ii.  J  8.  Heb.  x.  19.  and  as  the  mediate  caufe  of  all 
things  in  the  chriftian  creation  and  kingdom  of  God. 

It  IS  juftly  fuppoieable,  that  no  creature  was  capable  of 
this  office,  and  that  God  would  not  commit  the  mighty  con- 
cerns of  his  vaft  empire,  and  the  unrivalled  honor  and  glory 
of  his  own  Majefty  to  the  management  of  the  moft  exalted 
cieature  ;  nor  doth  it  appear  fafe  for  men  to  truft  in  pne  not 
divinC;>  or  lefs  than  God's JelloWf 


CHRISTIANITY  A  NEW  CREATION,  &.c,         277 
CHAP.  XUl. 

CMRISTIANMTY     A     NEW     CPF.ATION     OF     GOD     BY     CHRIST. 

Chrijlianity  coiijideredas  the  new  creation  of  God  by  Chrijl  :   and 
zvherein  it  confijls, 

AS  the  Gofpel  is  the  kingdoni    of   God   and  Chrift.  rmd  its 
conftitution  is  the  new    teftament,  covenant  and  !a\v,    it  muil 
itielf  therefore  be  the  new  creation  uf  God  by  Jejus  Chrijl..      An4 
that  this  is  the  only  creation  Jeius  Chrift  the  one  Lord,  is  ths 
Author  of,  hath  been  before  proved,  Chap.  viii. 
The  creation  itfelf  is  now  to  be  deicribed. 
By  a  flrange  and    never  too  much    to  be  lamented   fatality, 
this  idea  of  chriftianity    hath   been    wholly   overlooked,  or  lo 
conceived  of,  as  to  be  nothing  real,  snuch  lefs  to  be  fo   impor- 
tant as  it  ought  to  be.      Scholaftic  divines,  fpoilt  through   phi- 
lofophy,  have  confidered  it  as  a  mere  figurative  or  metaphorical 
matter  for  men  to  become  new  creatures  in  Chrifl  :  and  there- 
fore when  there  can  be  no  new  creatures  without  a  new   crea- 
tion, that  hath  been  confidered  as  figurative  alfo.     They  might 
have    undcrftood  the    Molaic    creation  in  the  fame  fenfe,    and 
figuratived  it  away,  as  they  have  done^Azi  which  is  as  real,  and 
literal,  as  that  was,  and  much  more  noble  and  excellent.      The 
principal  caufe  why  this  new  creation  hath  been  fo    little  noti- 
ced, is  the  affixing  a  wrong  idea  Xo  creation  itfelf.      It  hath  been 
generally  conceived  of,  as  the  production  of  fomething  out  of 
nothing  :   or  the  giving  total  being  to  that  which  had  no  entity 
before.      There  is  no  word   in  fcripiure  ever  ufed,  that  by    its 
notation    or  application    fignifies  any  fuch  thing,  nOr  is  there 
any  word  in  any   known   language    that    imports   thus   much. 
How  what    had  no  manaer  of  being  before,  is  brotight    into 


273         CHRISTIANITY  A  NEW  CREATION 

exifliance  is  to  us  unknown,  and  inconceivable.  And  yet  the 
belief  of  it  is  reafonable,  fmce  nothing  can  be  conceived  of  as 
necclTarily  exiltcnt,  but  God,  and  Ibme  things  do  exifl  which 
are  not  God.  Ct eate  is  3i  word  promifcuoufly  ufed  in  fcrio- 
ture  -.vilh  other  words  which  only  fignify  the  change  of  the 
itaie  a!id  nature  of  things  and  beings,  by  external  efficiency. 
It  is  often  exprefled  by  building,  ''  He  that  built  all  things  is 
Goi."  It  was  predicted  of  the  gian  whofe  name  is  the  branch 
ih:t  he  Tnould  build  the  temple  of  the  Lord.  Now  as  to  a 
builder  in  znw  fcnfe,  every  one  knows  that  he  doth  not  create  his 
materials  out  of  nothing,  but  takes  them  rough  fits  and  frames  them 
into  a  corBpa6i  uniform  edifice.  And  in  political  matters  creation 
only  fignifies  the  change  of  the  flate  of  things  and  beings. 

An  example  may  be  produced  which  will  point  out  what 
variety  of  creations  one  may  pafs  through,  and  how  many  more 
we  know  not.  Take  Eve  for  inflance.  The  matter  of  which 
(he  was  produced  exifted  in  the  chaotic  earth,  then  in  Adam  it 
was  formed  from  the  dull  of  the  ground,  after  this  out  of  Ad- 
am's rib  flie  was  builded  a  woman,  then  by  marriage  (lie  was 
made  a  wife,  and  then  (he  was  alfo  conjiituted  the  mother  of  all 
living,  and  if  Adam  had  been  a  King  fhe  might  have  been 
rrcjtsd  a  Q  »een,  and  lo  have  paffsd  through  all  the  fcripture 
creations,  and  yet  not  one  of  them  either  figurative  or  out  of 
nothing,  but  all  real  as  to  nature  or  flate.  To  create  a  city  or 
kingdom,  m^ke  fubjc6l:s,  form  a  confhitution,  make  a  tefla- 
mcnt,  Rrikca  covenant,  ena£l  a  law,  are  real  creations,  and  yet 
none  of  them  are  out  of  nothing.  The  chriflian  fabbath  is  a 
day  the  Lord  hath  made  out  of  time  exifting  in  other  days. 

As  a  new  creation  chriftianity  is  definitively,  the  conjlitution 

of  all  things  conjiitutively  made  and  executively  introduced  :   con- 

Jlitutively   it  is  U7iiverfa£,    not  as   to  all  kirids  of  things,   but    as 

to  all  things  of   a  certain  Ipecies,   not  natural,  or  material,  but 

fpiriiuj!,  holy,  heavenly,  and  divine. 


OF  GOD  BY   CHRIST.  279 

It  v/isexeiutivdy  introduced  3imong:ix^^s  by  their  cdedicnCs 
to  the  command  to  zvorjhip  the  firjt  begotten,  when  he  \v.:o 
brought  again  into  the  world  at  his  refurredlon.  Heb.  1.  G. 
It  is  alfo  introduced  executively  among  men  by  J^ith,  or  their 
becoming  nezc  creatures  in  Chrift  Jefus.  But  common  (en'e 
teaches  that  there  can  be  no  new  creatures  without  a  new  crea- 
tion. The  being  of  a  fpecies  fuppofeth  a  genius,  the  exiflencc 
of  an  effeO;  argues  an  antccedantcaufe.  % 

1.  This  new  creation  confifts  in  the  formation,  and  erctlion 
of  a  date  of  general  peace,  and  reconcilement. 

The  moral  creation  of  God  liad  become  divided  and  hoflite 
to  each  other.  There  was  no  holy  iociety  between  the  virtu- 
ous, and  finfal  rebellious  part  of  God's  hibjefls.  The  prsf- 
ent  (late  of  natural  things  in  ourfyftem  fignificantly  reprefents 
the  anterior  (late  of  rationals  as  to  God  and  one  another.  On 
one  fide  was  God  and  holy  angels,  on  the  other  was  devils  and 
rebel  men.  The  firO:  thing  to  be  done  was  to  make  peace,  and  ta 
iffsEl  a  reconcilmient  between  thefe  oppofite  and  contending 
parties  to  make  them  one  whole  again  as  they  were  in  then- 
fir  (l  creation.'  God  the  common  Father  of  his  intelligent  of^- 
fpring  is  the  Brft  mover  in  this  benevolent  defign,  and 
wifely  contrives  and  adopts  the  expedient  of  a  propiciaiiou 
irnd  atonement  :  not  to  render  him  propitious  but  to  open  the 
way  for  his  excrcife  of  grace  and  mercy,  confident  with  a  de- 
claration of  his  public  regard  to  juilice.  He  foreordains  an-.i 
provides  the /;25ce  maker,  QVQ:n  his  own  Son,  at  whofc  biith 
peace  was  proclaimed  to  the  earth.  From  the  time  of  this  forc- 
ordination  of  Chrid,  the*  execution  of  juftice  according  to  the 
kw  tranfgreired  was  fufpended,  and  tre.'paUes  were  not  impu- 
ted, as  it  had  plcafed  God  to  adopt  and  ufe  means-  of  reconcili- 
ation. Every  divine  difpenfation  of  religion  in  our  world, 
halh  evident  marks  of  an  offended,  and  yet  reconcileable  Deity''s 
hand    in  it.      Why  (hould  God   place  human    fpirils    among 


i8o  CHRISTIANITY  A   NEW  CREATION 

beaRs  in  paradife,  and  in  animal  bodies,  and  give  them  no  preern^ 
inence  above  them  in  rank  but  in  order  to  manifefl  them  that 
they  were  not  what  they  had  been  but  were  now  under  his 
dirpleaiure  ?  Would  holy  Ipirits  of  celeftial  extraftion,  cogna- 
tion, and  allian-ce,  have  ever  been  fo  unequally  yoked  to  ter- 
reflrial  animal  bodies,  and  been  lunk  into  a  local  fubje£lion  to 
the  god  of  this  world,  by  the  benevolent  Father  of  fpirits  ? 
Far  be  it  from  any  to  {uppofe  any  fuch  thing  of  the  God  who 
is  love,  and  who  is  alfo  wife,  holy,  and  juft.  But  if  man's 
fpirit  is  conlidered  as  having  fallen  through  abufe  of  libertyj 
and  that  his  benevolent  parent  is  meditating  bis  reftoration 
c'.ller  proper  chaftifsracnt,  and  ufing^  means  to  fit  him  for  recep- 
tion to  his  favor,  the  paradifaical  economy  and  all  after  difpen- 
htionstill  the  fullneis  of  times^  appear  wife  and  benevolent  i 
and  efpecially  doth  the  a£lual  eftablifhment  of  the  gofpel  in 
th(J  firft  flep  of  it,  viz.  making  peace  by  the  blood  of  the  crofs 
of  Chrifl-,  who  is  therefore  called  our  ^^cice,  and  his  covenant, 
rj  covenant  o? peace.  Then  a  ftate  of  reconcilement  was  crea- 
tively evtdied,  Eph.  ii.  13,  14,  15.  A  proclamation  of  peace 
is  iiTued,  the  word  of  reconciliation  given,  the  minifliy  of 
reconciliation  infliluted,  and  ambaffadors  for  Chrift  or- 
dained, and  Cent  forth  in  his  name  to  perfuade  to  an  aftual 
reconcilement  to  God.  It  is  impoiTible  there  fiiould  be  any 
executive  introduRion  of  peace,  without  a  previous  creative 
eJlaUiJJivient  of  a  Jlate  of  peace  and  reconcilement.  And  of 
this  creation  of  peace  the  whole  world,  for  whole  fins  Chrift 
is  the  propitiation^  reap  :he  benefit,  in  not  being  treated 
according  to  legal  juftice  :  and  nothing  prevents  their  aftual 
reconcilement,  but  their  refufing  to  lay  down  the  weapons  of 
their rrhcHion  and  warfare,  and  not  accepting  of  the  terms  of 
peace.  Tliat  all' men  without  exception  are  comprized  in  this 
{(Jttlement  of  peace,  bclides  the  fcripture  ufe  of  the  univerlal 
;erms,  of  3II,  and  every  man,  the  world,  and  zoJwlc  world,  may 


OF  GOD  BY  CHRIST.  281 

appear  from  hence,  that  in  aHs  of  indemnity,  the  non  excepted 
are  included.  Put  the  cafe  that  a  common  Father  of  a  nume- 
rous offspring  all  iffuing  from  his  cfT^nce  upon  the  declenfion 
of  fome  is  willing  to  reduce  the  revolters,  all  equally 
undeferving,  and  the  price  paid  to  reftore  one  would  be  equal 
to  the  reftoration  of  all,  can  it  be  fuppofed  that  a  bencvolenr. 
parent  would  merely  for  his  pleafure,  withhold  his  intention 
of  extending  the  ranfom  to  all,  or  a  juft  parent  invite  all  in  a 
public  explicit  manner  to  come  and  accept  of  the  tender,  when 
fecretly  there  is  no  offer  made  to  them,  as  there  was  no  ran fo mi 
paid  for  them  ?  If  an  earthly  parent  would  not  do  thus,  how 
much  lefs  would  the  Father  of  angels  and  men,  do  any  thing 
of  this  kind  ?  And  as  we  read  that  the  glory  of  a  King  confifts 
in  the  multitude  of  his  fubje6ls,  we  may  well  fuppole  that  a 
parent  would  be  equally  concerned  to  have  his  offspring  increaf- 
cd,  by  a  reftoration  of  fuch  as  have  been  unhappily  left  to  go 
affray  :  and  would  not  be  angry  forever,  left  they  fliould  be 
driven  to  defperation  ;  and  if  he  was  divine,  and  they  fpirits 
and  fouls,  left  they  ftiould  fail  before  him.  It  may  be  conclu- 
ded Chrift  hath  made  a  general  peace  :  that  the  ftate  of  peace 
is  open  for  all  to  enter,  and  none  are  excluded.  And  this 
could  not  have  been  without  a  creation. 

2.  There  is  a  new  creation  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  kingdom  of  God,  of  Chrift,  and  of  Heaven,  which  ar<C 
the  fame,  came  at  our  Savior's  refurreftion  when  its  conftitutioa 
was  eftablifhed,  and  it  received  a  new  form  :  Of  original,  it 
became  mediatoiial  :  The  law  was  changed  from  the  holy  fpir^ 
itual  moral  law,  to  the  gofpel  law  of  grace,  faith  and  liberty. 
The  fovereignty  of  it  is  nezu  :  and  fo  are  its  i"ubjc6>s.  God 
indeed  is  fupreme  in  this,  as  he  was  in  the  fit  ft,  but  it  is  under 
a  new  charafter,  as  the  God  of  grace,  the  God  and  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jefus  Chrift,  The  adminiftration  of  the  original 
kingdom  was  by  God  all  in  all.  There  was  no  mediator;, 
M   m 


^82         CHRISTIANITY  A  NEW  CREATION 

♦  ciicuer  or  fanftifier  in  that  kingdom  as  none  were  needed. 
But  the  adrninidration  of  this  is  by  a  trinity  of  divine  perfons. 
Could  all  this  be  done  without  a  political  creation.  Even 
holy  angels  are  analogically  leconciled,  and  recapitulated  in 
Chiift  :  and  even  created  by  him^  as  thrones,  dominions,  prin- 
cipalities, powers,  and  have  a  new  objefl;  of  worfhip,  the  ilrft 
beorotten,  or  the  Lamb  that  had  been  flain,  but  was  now  rifen, 
and  for  a  new  reafon,  becaufe  he  had  been  flain.  Angels  as 
well  as  human  faints  are  citizens  of  the  New  Jerufalem,  but 
'.:ould  they  be  fo  unl^i^  the  city  of  God  was  made  new  r  Th6 
whole  polity  of  heaven  hath  paffed  through  what  politicians 
c^ll  a  regeneration  ;  and  the  fcripturfes  a  creation.  Where 
any  of  the  fubje£ls  o'f  the  ^ncieftt  kingdom  keep  their  (landing, 
they  come  und<f!r  a  new  denomination  :  -dnd  where  any  of  the 
eld  commands  or  ftatuteS  are  retained  and  adopted,  they  come 
under  a  new  confideration,  as  created  by  a  new  authority,  imi 
poiedupon  new  fuhjefts,  obferved  from  new  principles,  enfor- 
ced with  new  motives,  and  requiring  new  meafurcs  of  obedi- 
ence. 

The  new  treated  donflitution  of  the  new  kingdom  of  God 
is  the  new  teflament,  covenant,  and  law  v/hich  have  been  del- 
ctibed.  This  with  all  golpel  inftitutions,  ordinances,  facra'- 
ments,  ofHces,  and  officers  are  new  creations.  We  have  a  new 
book  of  life,  a  new  rule  and  mode  of  worfhip,  new  promiles, 
new  examples,  a  new  d^y  of  ivorlhip,  nfiw  facrifices,  a 
n(^vv  altar,  and  a  new  fahftuarv,  &c,  could  all  thele  things  be 
\\tthout  a  creation.  The  writer  to  the  Hebrews  fpeaks  'of  a 
^iiorld  to  CQinc,  put  in  iubjeftion  to' Chrifl.  But  how  could 
that  world  fxift,  without  beino  the  «!-reation  of  God  bv  hiin  ? 

A  new  ftaie  of  fighteournels  and  remiiTion  of  fins,  demands 
^  new  cteaiioti  to  elLbliQi  ir.  And  this  is  really  eftablilhed" 
ty  the  grace  of  Ciod  through  the  redemption  of  Chrifl.  Net- 
^hei  ti^htcouru^:!*  nor  remifTion  of  fu)&  arc  to  be  obtained  by  t>-ir 


OF  GOD  BY  CHRIST.  283 

Uw.  None  ever  was  juftified  by  the  terms  of  the  old  coven- 
ant, but  by  the  new  in  Chrift's  blood,  and  not  by  a  perfeQ; 
obedience  of  their  own,  or  an  others  imputed  to  them.  The 
do£lrine  of  imputation  as  commonly  held  to,  is  very  abfurd. 
To  impute  what  belongs  to  one  perfon,  to  another  opens  a 
door  to  all  liccntioufnefs,  and  is  the  popifh  doftrine  of  fuperer- 
ogation  in  another  fhape  :  for  how  can  one  be  righteous,  by 
another's  afts  ;  without  making  them  his  own  ? 

Not  to  anticipate  any  thing  concerning  juftification  and 
imputation  in  order  thereunto  ;  The  new  creation  of  which 
we  are  now  treating,  is  a  total  change  of  the  politic  ftate  of  all 
things  and  perfons  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  alfoof  the  real 
(late  of  Tome  of  them  at  leafl:.  They  arc  all  new  by  creation. 
Whatever  belongs  to  the  chriftian  cenfus  is  new  :  old  things 
are  pafled  away,  behold  all  things  are  become  new.  Chrift  is 
made  of  God  to  us  wifdom,  righteoufnefs,  fan-ftifi cation  and 
redemption,  and  wzzve  made  the  righteoufners  of  God  in  him. 
Is  there  no  creation  in  this  ?  We  as  chriftians  are  by  Chrifl 
as  the  one  Lord,  and  when  this  executively  takes  place,  we 
become  the  workmanftiip  of  God  created  in  Chrill  Jei'us,  are 
new  creatures  by  being  in  him,  and  in  chriftianifm  of  ftate 
and  condition.  There  is  a  being  in  Chrid  vitally  zs  the  branch- 
es arc  in  the  vine,  2ir\dfocietively,  as  the  wife  is  in  her  hufband, 
^and  head.  But  neither  of  thefe  is  pofTible  without  a  creation. 
All  of  chriftianity  is  a  new  creation. 


204       OF  JUSTIFICATION  AND  SALVATION, 


CHAP.  XIV. 


©F     JUSTIFICATION    AND     SALVATION. 

OJ jvjlificatien  end  falvation  :  both  impoffible  to  men  by  the  lazts^ 
either  by  their  own  right eoufnejs,  or  the  righteoufnefs  of  an* 
ether  imputed  to  them  :  the  go/pel  way  oJ  jujiiji cation  and  falva- 
tion is  oj  grace ^  through  Chrijl,  by  faith  imputed,  and  by 
con/equent  new  obedience* 

JUSTIFICATION  and  falvation  are  the  two  great  things 

n>an  now  needs  :   the  firfl  relates    to    what  is    paft,    and,   the 

other  to  what  is  to  come,   at  leaft    in    a£lual  pofleflion.     That 

juflification  is  not,  and  never  was  in  this  world  poffible  to  man 

by    the  deeds   of  the  law,  or    the  firft  covenant,  as  a  rule   of 

judgment  in  bis  cafe,  is  a  point  to  be  proved.      And  is  eafily 

proved,  if  St.  Paul  is  admitted  as  an  authority,  becaufe  it  is  a 

matter  he  hath    fully  debated  from   its   firft   principles,    and 

argues  theirnpoffibility  of  the  thing,  againft  Jews  and  Gentiles 

as  a  tratter  of  the  utmoft  importance.      Yet  fome  by  an   unnati- 

i:ral   mixture  of   law   and  grace,    have    removed  this  doftrine 

from  its  evangelical  bafis,  and  even  from  the  bodies  of  common- 

ienfe.      And  by  a  ftrange   ufe  of  imputation  have   contradicted 

the   exprefs   pofitive  affertion  of    the   Apoftle    that  none  are 

juflified    by   the  deeds   of  the  law;  Rom.  iii.  20.   Which  as 

much  excludes  believers  as  any  other  men,  either  by  their  own, 

or  any  righteoufnefs  imputed  to  them,  if  the  law  of  the   ruLs 

and  meafure  of  judgment  in  their  cafe.      And  the  above  efler- 

tions  will  not  appear  groundlefs,  if  the  law  is  defined.     And 

JAiflificaticn  and  lalvation  according  to  thegofpelare  explained^  ^ 


JUSTIFICATION  IMPOSSIBLE  BY  THE  LAW.    285 

1.  A  dcfinitionof  thelawand  the  deeds  of  it,  is  to  be  given. 
Now  by  the  law  is  to  be  underftood  the  firlb  teftacnent  or 
covenant,  and  -^hatfoever  is  involved  in  it.  And  vvhetber  it 
is  taken  for  the  law  of  Moles,  as  oppofed  to  grace  and  trulh 
by  Jefus  Chrift  :  or  for  the  law  the  Gentiles  were  under  :  or 
for  the  holy  fpiritual  moral  law  of  God  :  the  law  in  every  fenfe 
it  was  added  to  the  pronaife,  or  was  a  fchoolmaacr  to  Chrift  ; 
juftiEcation  to  man  is  not  pofiible  by  it. 

As  to  the  deeds  of  the  law,  they  are   all  the  acts  and  doings 
of    men    under  the   law,  and  not    under  grace  :    all  works  of 
righteoufnels  we  have  done  as  born  of  the  will  of  man  :   all  our 
own  rightcoufnefs,  the  natural  man's  woiks  as  influenced  there- 
unto by  the  law  of  his  mind  :  all   works  before  faith   whether 
ceremonial  or  moral.      Thefc  are  called   our  own  rigbteoufnefs, 
or  works  of  rightcoufnefs  we  have  done  :   And  are  not  oppof- 
ed to  any  righteoufnefs  of  Chrift    fuppofed  to  be  '•  imputed  to 
us,   and  received  by  faith  alone,'*  but  to    faith  itfelf  and  the 
good  works  of  the  new  man.      St.    Paul  never    touches  upon 
the  modern  difpute,  whether  faith  feparate  from  its  fruitsjafti- 
fyeth  ;  His  difpute  was  with  legalifts,  whether  weare  juftih- 
fid  of    grace,    by  faith  in  Chrift,  or    by    the  deeds   of  the  law, 
without  grace  or    Chrift,    fo   as  to  render  the  reward  cf  debt, 
and   to  lay    a  foundation    for    boafting    in  ourielves.      A!!  his 
argumentation  is  zgainft  the  law,  and  its   religionifts,   an-!  their 
propofed  way    of  attaining   righteoulnels..  by  their  works  and 
doings  while  under   the  law.      They  were   ignoiant  of  God's 
righteoufnefs,  and  went  about  to  eftablilh  their  own,  and  did 
not  fubmit  themfelves  to  the  righteoulnels  of  God.   Rom.  x.   3. 
Their  own  rightcoufnefs  they  went  about  to  eftablifli,  was  not 
faith,  or  its  fruits  :   nor  doth    the  righicoufnefs  of  God  which 
they  did  not  fubmit  to,  ever  Tignifying   the  imputed  righteouf.- 
nefs  of  Chrift.     They  followed   after  righteoufnefs  but  did  not 
attain  to  (the  benefit  part)  of  the  law  of  righteoufnefs,  becaufe 


a§$         JUSTIFICATIONT  AND  SALVATION 

lliey  fought  it  not  by  faith,  bur  ^Z5  to  be  obtained  (as  the  original 
is)  by  the   works  of  ihe  law,  for  they  ftumbled,  &c.   Rom.  ix» 

The  works  of  the  law  exduc^e  faith,  as  faith,  excludes  them, 
it  is  not  becaufe  they  are  toorks  but  woiks  of  the  law^  that  they 
are  excluded  from  any  influence  m  juftification,  and  even  falva- 
tion  alfo,  for  what  excludes  from  the  one,  doth  from  the  other. 
Faith  itfelf  is  a  a'or,%,,as  much  as  any  legal  work  whatfoevcr. 
It  is  the  work  of  Gody  an  aB  of  obedience  to  a  command.  John 
vi.  29.  I.  John  iil.  23.  The  apoille  contends  for  a  way  of 
juftfiication  which  excludes  all  boafting  in  ourfelves,  which 
the  legal  way  did  not  :  Rom.  iii.  27.  and  is  ever  careful  to 
diftinguifh  faith,  and  legal  works,  and  to  affert  the  neceffity  of 
a  living  faith  as  an  evangelical  work.  Some  have  confidered 
faith  only  as  a  hand  to  receive  Chrift's  righteoufnefs  as  imputed 
by  which  they  fuppofe  we  are  juftifie  j  and  not  by  faith,  *'  This 
i*aith  Luther,  is  the  doftrine  of  a  ftanding  or  falling  church.*' 
See  alio  the  affembly's  catechifm,  in  anfwer  toi  "  What  is 
juftfiication  ?'*  When  faith  is  imputed  to  us  for  righteoufnefs, 
ihey  fay,  it  is  to  be  utiderftood  organically  for  the  righteoulncis 
.of  Chrift.  See  Pool  and  Burkitt  on  Rom.  iv.  3.  But  how 
the  aft  or  work  of  faith  fhould  by  imputation  be  turned  into 
ihc  righteoufnefs  of  thrift  is  hard  to  conceive  of.  Befides 
the  word  righteoufnefs  doth  not  mean  the  righteousncfs  of 
Chrift,  but  that  y?j^<j  of  righteoufnefs  which  God  hath  creatively 
cftablifhed  through  Chrift's  redemption,  or  thebenefit  of  right- 
eoufnefs viz.  juftification.  It  is  therefore  called  the  righteouf- 
nefs of  God,  and  the  righteoufnefs  of  God  (the  Father)  by  the 
faith  of  Jefus  Chrift,  bccsufe  we  become  the  fubjefts  of  it  by 
the  imputation  of  faith  to  us. 

The  deeds  of  the  law  ft  md  in  the  fame  relation  to  the  old 
covenant,  that  faith  doth  to  the  new  covenant.  To  the  wor- 
jclng  legalift  the  reward  is  reckoned  of  debt  and  not  of  grace. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  GOSPEL.  agy 

And  if  it  be  of  works  grace  is  fet  afide.  Rom.  iv.  J; 
Rom.   xi.   6. 

Works  {land  oppofed  to  no  imputed  righteoufnefs  of  Chri.'i 
but  to  faith  imputed.  And  thfe'  former  is  not  the  ground  or 
matter  of  our  juftification  upon  the  foot  of  law  .'  but  faith  it- 
felfas  imputed  to  us  is  the  ground  andTW^^^^r  of  our  juftification 
by  the  new  teftaraent  in  his  blood.  Chrift  himfelf  and  none 
elfe  was  ever  juftified  by  obedience  to  the  law.  But  we  are 
juflified  freely  by  his  grace  through  the  redemptiort  of  Chrifl: 
from  the  laws  by  the  imputation  of  faith  to  us  for  rightcoiifhcfs 
or  juftification.  And  we  fhall  prove  hereafter  that  all  leg  d 
works  done  by  us,  or  by  Chrift  are  excluded  from  bein^  the 
ground,  rcafon  or  matter  of  our  juftification  by  the  law,  either 
before  God  the  Creator,  or  God  the  Redeemer. 

2.  Juftification,  and  falvation  in  the  gofpel  [enfs  are  to  bn 
explained. 

Salvation  is  allowed  to  be  a  deliverance  from  all  the  crirr:i- 
tial  and  penal  evils,  both  'piritual  and  eternal  men  are  expofcd 
to  here,  and  hereafter  :  with  a  right  tc),  and  pofr.*indn  of  a!' 
fpiritual  and  eternal  bleftings  in  heavenly  places  by  Chrift.  It 
includes  in  it  the  refurredtion  of  the  body,  and  the  eiernal  h'np^^ 
pinefs  of  foul  and  body  in  heaven. 

As  to  the  fcriptural  fignification  of  juft'Tication,  all  are  noi; 
agreed  therein. 

The  EiJglilh  word  Juftlfy,  is  from  ihe  Latin  wo^d  JuftihcOj 
which  with  the  Greek  Dikaio  and  Hebrew  Ilitzdik  fignify  to" 
{«a^<r  juft  or  righteous,  as  to  lan61ify  is  to  7ii'ike  holy,  yet  Kn(>"' 
in  his  Eifays  faith,  to  juftify  is  no  where  in  fcriptarc  to  mahi 
righteous,  when  the  very  wordisjuftum  facere,  to"  maice  right- 
eous. Rom.  V.  19.  But  pcrlons  may  be  made  righteous  id 
various  fenfes.  Intrinficly  and  really  by  renewing  thcu;  ia' 
riglueouineis.  Chrift, is  made  of  God  to  us  wifdom  rightcou'-^ 
•■•-•^  -{"'i  r3-'^".^c-5'3or,  a*id   redemption  ;   not  by  imputatic%' 


oS8  JUSTIFICATION   AND   SALVATION 

fov  iirputed  wlldom  fa  nftifi  cation  and  redemption,  areas  prop- 
er as  imputed  righteoufnefs,  but  righteoufnefs  is  not  imputed 
nnlcfs  the  {ubjc£l.  is  a  doer  of  righUov.Jntfs ,  But  mod  cora- 
njonly  to  raake  righteous,  or  to  juftify,  is  to  do  it  extrinficly 
r:3  iojlatc^  and  not  as  to  nature.  And  this  is  done  mentally^ 
bv  a  man  wife  in  his  own  conceit  :  verbally  by  the  defender  of 
a  criminal  :  Jfadicially  fenUntiaUy,  and  dedarativdy  by  a  judge 
who  accuits  a  perfon.  And  dtmonjiratively  by  one  who  under- 
takes to  make  the  righteoufnels  of  another  to  appear.  In  treat- 
ment  and  nfage  our  Savior  was  made  (i  Jniner  :  and  in  the  fame 
wav  a  crirnitial  may  be  made  righteous.  But  God  will  not  fo 
iuftify  the  wicked.  Deut.  xxv.  i.  By  his  words  a  man  is 
flVctczrrJ,  evidenced  to  bejuft.  Matt.  xii.  37,  Our  Savior's 
righteoufnefs  was  demonjirated  by  the  fpirit  that  raifed  him  from 
the  dead,  and  (o  vjz^jujiificd  in  or  by  the  fpirit,  I.  Tim  iii.  16. 
But  in  none  of  thefe  fenfes  are  any  of  mankind  juftified  by 
the  law,  or  the  fird  covenant,  for  this  one  good  reafon,  viz.  all 
Bxc  un^rodly,  finners.  snd  condemned  by  the  law,  believers  as  much 
as  any.  and  God  cannot  make  a  falfe  judgment  by  declaring  him 
jujlhyz  law  of  which  he  is  a  tranrgrefifor,  and  by  which  he  is 
condemned,  if  the  law  hath  its  courfe  upon  him,  he  is  kept  un- 
der it,  and  treated  according  to  it. 

The  confidering  juftificatioti  as  zforenfic  term,  and  a  m.ere 
iudicial  declarative  a£l  as  oppofed  to  condemnation,  is  by  no 
mc3ns  fatisfacloiy.  Becaufe  the  queftion  is  not  how  the  right- 
'.jus  flicill  be  juflified,  but  how  the  ungodly  and  the  /inner  can 
be  juflified.  Can  the  real  criminal  and  guilty  by  law,  be  de- 
clared righteous  in  law  by  a  juft  Judge  ?  To  afcribe  the  condem- 
nation snd  judilicstion  of  the  fame  fubjctl  to  the  power  of  the 
I'amc  law  is  abfurd*  To  get  over  this  difficulty,  it  hath  been 
faid  without  the  leafl  proof,  that  the  original  law  run  in  this 
cond'tional  fliain,  "  Do  this  in  yourfelves  or  furety  and  live." 
And  although  we  faHed  in  ourfclves,  yet  as  Chnft  fulfilled  the 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  GOSPEL.  289 

law  asourfurety,  we  are  juftified  by  the  law  through  what  h-s 
did  being  imputed  to  us.  But  this  is  all  inconfiftency  and 
abfurdity.  The  law  run  in  no  fuch  conditional  ilrain,  but 
curfeth  every  one  that  doth  not  obey  it.  Chrifl  was  no  furety 
of  the  old  teftament,  but  of  the  new.  Nothing  belonging  tc, 
or  done  by  one,  is  ever  in  fcripture  faid  to  be  imputed  to  an- 
dther.  Imputation  doth  not  transfer  qualities  ;  impute  wif- 
dom  tea  fool,  and  he  is  the  fame  flill  :  impute  righteoufnefs 
to  the  ungodly,  and  he  is  the  fame  ftill  according  to  the  law  he 
hath  tranigreflcd. 

Juftificatmn  is  not  therefore  in  the  fcripture  fenfe,  a  mere 
judicial  fcniential  aCi,  but  a  creative  /over eign  aEt  is  complicated 
with  it.  It  is  the  makz}ig  the  ujigodly  righteous,  by  fuch  a 
creative  a6l  as  fovereigns  ufe  when  they  make  nobles  of  plebiins, 
or  freemen  of  (laves.  When  God  made  the  new  teftamenf: 
covenant  and  law  then  he  created  a  new  Jiate  of  remijfion  of 
fins  and  of  righteoufnefs ,  whereby  the  uiigodly  by  law,  but  be- 
lievers by  thegofpel,  by  God's  grace  through  Chrifl's  redemp- 
tion, may  have  the  ftate  and  condition  of  righteous  perfons 
granted  unto  them,  and  be  declared  righteous  according  to  the 
law  of  grace  and  faith,  which  is  the  rule  and  meafure  of  judg. 
ment  in  their  cafe  Here  is  no  imputation  of  the  righteoufnefs 
of  another,  but  of  faith  for  righteoufnefs.  The  believer  is  not 
ungodly  by  the  gofpel  while  the  righteoufnefs  of  the  law,  as  td 
the  naatter  of  it,  is  fulfilled  in  him,  by  his  walking  not  after  ths 
fledi,  but  after  the  fpirit,   Rom.  viii,  4. 

3.  The  gofpel  way  of  juftification  and  falvation,  may  now 
be.epfily  explained. 

None  arcjuftified  in  the  fight  of  God  in  any  fenfe  by  the 
deeJs  of  the  Uw,  or  according  to  the  old  covenant,  either  by 
inherenr  rightcoufhefs,  their  own  righteoufnefs,  or  the  fig*h*. 
boufrtefs  of  ChriH:  fmputed  to  them. 


190         JU^TIFICATIONr  AND  SALVATION 

^^11  are  guilty  and  ungodly  by  law  and  under  condemnation. 
See  chap.  ii.  The  law  requires  finlefs  perpetual  obedience  of 
every  individual  under  it,  and  curfes  the  dilobedient,  though 
but  in  oiiC  point,  it  is  therefv^re  abfolutely  irapoflibie  the  tranf- 
gieffor  fliould  be  juflified  by  the  law  that  condemns  him.  The 
llnncris  as  much  bound  to  punijhment  as  a  debt  of  juftice,  as 
ihe  obedient  are  to  a  reward  of  debt.  Neither  repentance 
nor  faith  are  any  requifitions  of  the  law,  make  no  compenfa- 
tior.  for  pafl:  offences,  nor  can  any  future  obedience  ever  fo 
perfe6V,  if  it  were  pofTibie,  juftify  him  that  hath  once  oilcnded, 
if  the  law  is  holy  and  the  Lawgiver  juft,  every  foul  of  man 
mu{^  forever  defpair  of  judification  by  the  law.  And  as  to  a 
fubllitutc  obeying  the  law  for  man,  and  fuffering  the  penality, 
fo  that  by  the  imputation  thereof  to  him,  he  Ihould  be  jufli- 
fied by  the  law,  this  is  repugnant  to  the  maxims  of  the  law  and 
gofpel,  and  e\en  to  common  fen(e.  Crimes  differ  from  debts  : 
a  reparation  for  a  perfonal  trefpafs,  doth  not  fatisfy  for  the 
violation  of  a  public  law. 

The  allowance  of  a  fubftitute  is  of  grace,  and  fo  far  law  i^ 
no  more  law.  And  as  to  the  fcripture  notion  of  imputation,  or 
non  imputation,  it  ever  refpefts  what  is  a  man's  own,  and  not 
what  is  another's  transferred  to  him.  IL  Sam.  xix.  19.  Rom. 
in.  26.  IV.  3,  4,  5,  9.  Gal.  iii.  6.  The  not  imputing  trei- 
pafTes  fuppofes  the  being  of  them,  and  that  they  might  be  im- 
puted and  puniilied  according  to  law  :  but  the  execution  of 
hw  is  fufpended  for  fome  reafon  or  other.  II.  Cor.  v.  19. 
'1  he  imputing  or  reckoning  righteou!hcfs  to  one,  is  the  account- 
ing foraething  which  he  hath  done,  to  him,  forrighteoufnels  or 
julliBcaiion.  Thui  Abraham's  faith  or  believing,  and  not  the 
objcU  of  It  was  imputed  to  him  for  rightcoulnels.  In  Phile- 
mon wc  have  an  account  of  imputstion  which  D»-.  Dodd- 
-•u'gc  cpjotcs  to  juflify  the  reckoning  to  one  kvhiit  another  hatVi 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  GOSPEL.  2tji 

t3©ne,  but  it  is  not  to  his  purpofe.      Onefimus  had  run  away 
ffom  Philemon  :   Paul  finds  him  and  converts  him  to  chnftian- 
ity,  and   fends  him  back  to  his  mafter,  and  writes  a  letter  for 
his  favorible  reception  in  which  are  thefe  words  :   "  If  he  hath 
wrongedthee,  or  oweth  thee  ought,  put  that  on  mine  account  : 
(impute  it  to  me  :)    I  Paul    have   written    it  with   mine  own 
hand,  I  will  repay  it."      He  made  the  debt  his  own,  and  gave 
a  note  of  hand  for  payment   if  demanded  :   his  aft,  not  Phile- 
mon's, made  the  imputation   lawful.      But  what  is   this    to  a 
Judge's  imputing  the  fin  or  righteoufnefs  of  one  to  another  ? 
One    man's    faith,    repentance,    ideis,    tronfcioufnefs,     perfonal 
identity,  mifeiy   and  happinefs,  may  be  imputed  to  another,  as 
well  as  his  fin  or  righteoufnefs.      Imputation  is  the  aft  of  God 
as  a  Sovereign  or  Judge,  and  ever  fuppofes  the  being  of  what 
is  imputed,  in  the  fubje£l  antecedent   to  fuch  imputation,  and 
doth  n«t    conftitute  any   a  finner  or  righteous    perfon  by   that 
arbitrary  aft.      But  are  not  many  made  (or   conftiluted)  finnv^is 
by  one  man's  difobedience  :  and  by  the  obedience  of  one   many 
made  (eonflituted)  righteous  ?   Yes  :   but    not  by  imputation. 
Adam    was    the   means  of  introducing  his  natural  defcendants 
into  thejiate  of  finners  :   as  Chrift  is  the  means  of  introducing 
believers  in  him,  into  the  Jiate  of  righteous  perfons.      Adam, 
though  deflitute   of  original    righteowfiiefs,    was  placed  in    a 
ftate  of    innocence  as    to   the   law  he  was  under  :   fo  Shirnei, 
though  deflitute  of  true  goodnefs,  was   by  Solomon  placed  in  a 
ftate  of  innocence  as    to    the    particular    prohibition  he   was 
under.       Adam  voluntarily    departed    from    innocence,    that 
brought  him  into  the  ftate   of   a  finner  by  the  conftitution  of 
God  :   and  by  the  fame  conftitution  all  h\<;  natujal  defccndants 
are  born    in  the   fame   ftate  that  he    was  in  :    i  hey  hive  bodies 
of  fin  and  death,  arc  flefh  born  of  flefli,'  and  tfiat  flehi  js  finfuL 
But    nothing    is  imputed  to   them"  until   thby  -do   forfiething 
themfdves  to  mate  them   finners.      They  fufT.T  in   the  courfe  cf 


nc^?.         JUSTIFICATION  AND  SALVATION 

nature  upon  his  account,  but  not  in  the  cour/e  of  law.  This  is 
their  infelicity,  but  not  their  fm.  until  luft  conceives  and  brings 
forth  fin. 

So  on  the  ether  hand,  God  hath  fet  forth  Chrifl  to  be  a 
propitiation,  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  (own) 
lighteoufnefs,  for  the  remifiion  of  fins  that  are  pafl,  through 
the  forbcarance'of  God  ;  that  he  might  be  jufl  and  the  juflifier 
of  him  that  believeth  in  jefus,  Rorxi.  iii.  25,  26.  Chrift  re- 
deemed us  from  the  curfe  of  the  law  by  being  made  a  curfc  for 
IAS.  Gal.  iii.  13.  He  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteoufnefs 
(jufiiification)  to  every  one  that  believeth.  Rom,  x.  4.  We 
sre  become  dead  to  the  law  by  the  body  of  Chrift.  Rom.  vii.  4. 
If  the  law  is  ended  for  righteoufnefs  :  and  we  are  dead  to  it, 
delivered  from  it,  and  not  under  it,  we  are  in  no  fenfe  juflified 
by  it,  but  by  another  law  which\  can  give  life,  even  by  the  law  of 
faith  which  c.xcIuqks  all  boafting.  In  this  way  God  exhibits 
a  public  declaration  of  his  own  righteoufnefs,  and  regard  to 
jufliice.  And  at  the  fame  time  by  a/overcign  creative  a^,  through 
Chrift's  redemption,'  and  in  confideration  of  his  magnifying 
the  law  and  making  it  honorable,  in  his  life  and  death,  eftab- 
lifheth  the  new  covenant  in  his  blood,  according  to  which 
faith  is  imputed  for  righteoufaefs,  the  flate  of  righteoufnefs  is 
arsnted  to  believers,  and  they  are  declared  alfo  to  be  righteous 
:r.  the  fight  of  God  according  to  the  tenor  of  the  gofpel,  being 
freed  from  the  lav/  of  fin  and  death,  by  the  law  of  the  fi^irit  of 
life  in  Chrift  Jefus.   Rom.  viii.  c, 

Chrift  was  delivered  for  our  offences  and  raifed  again  for 
our  jnftification.  Rom.  iv.  25.  Ifa.  liii.  8.  God  in  raifing 
Chrifl:  from  the  dead,  juftified  him,  gave  him  a  perfed  abfolu- 
tion  from  the  fentence  of  de:uh,  and  folemnly  difgharged  him, 
ind  the  whole  world  fron^  all  fins  againft  the  law  :  which 
voild  he  is  reconciling  to  himfclf  in  Chrift,  not  imputing  to 
them  their  tiefpafTcs.   II.  Cor.  v.  19.      Chii ft  alone  v.-as  jufti- 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  GOSPiL.  293 

fied  by  the  law.  He  magnified  it,  made  it  honorable  and  ended 
it  :  and  God  at  his  rcfurretlion  creatively- formed  ajlate  of  it;.. 
miffion  of  fins  and  of  righteoulnefs,  in  the  netv  teiiamcnt  in 
his  blood.  And  by  this  fovcrcign  fupei legal  a6l  believers  hav« 
their  jullification.  Not  that  every  believer  was  then  aftually 
juflificdj  but  (uch  ^fettkmcnt  was  made,  that  all  upon  believ- 
ing are  creatively  made  righteous  injiate,  and  declared  righteous 
in  difpofition  and  pradice.  They  that  believe  are  under  grace, 
and  in  a  raifed  condition  with  hinn.  Colof.  ii.  12.  and  iii.  1. 
which  implies  that  they  h^ve  jheir  Hale  of  righteoufnefs  and 
jufllfiednefs  by  the  aft  of  God  in  railing  Chrift  froin  the  dead. 
The  relurreftion  of  Chrifl  is  the  beginning,  of  the- new  creation 
and  conftitution  of  things  according  to  which  the  ungoJiy  by 
law,  but  believers  of  the  gofpe!,  enter  the  ftatc  of^vlghteoufnefs, 
and  fo  are  conftiiuted  righteous  by  the  obedience  of\one,  as 
many  were  conftituted  fmners  by  the  difobediencd*' of  one. 
This  is  called  the  righteoufnefs  of  God,  the  righfeoufncfs  of 
God  by  faith,  the  gift  of  righteoufnefs,  and  the  gift  by  grace. 
It  is  the  righteoufnefs  of  God  the  Father,  and  not  the  right- 
eoufnefs of  Chrifl,  though  it  is  granted  through  his  redcin^:>tionj 
freely  by  grace,  imputing  faith  for  juftificr^ticm. 

With  this  creative  fovereign  zdi  df  grace,  a  judicial /enten- 
tial  aSi  IS  complicated,  v.-herelw  believers  are  declared  the  right- 
eous in  difpofition  and  pradke.  according  to  the  gpfpel  law, 
becaufe  they  are  really  the  doers  of  vighreoufncrs  inchoatively 
an5  initially.  God  cannot  pa{s,a-w.rorj;T  Jadg:nent^  nor  account 
ajny  righteous,  v.dio  are  not  trmly^  '<"'•  scc^rding  to  tl'^at  huv  by 
which  he  judges  of  their  char^fhM-!  If  the  believer  was  as 
ungodly  in  the  eye  cf  tj;e  gofpe"  >  on  tjje  foot    of  l.  .-,, 

God  would  not  declare  him  righi.Cv>u:,  ;  ;.o  impiitation  of  v»;!.at 
another  had  done  would  alter  his  perfonal  cha,ra£leF.  Only  ti:e 
doer  of  righteoufnefs  is  righteous,  I.  Johrl  iii;(-»"*yt*  G ofpel 
belin-ers  are  pofTefred    of  a  chara£ier    thcr    f!ifi.;ngu'.rnet!-. 


294  JUSTIFICATION  AND  SALVATION 

from  unbelievers,  as  being  born  of  God,  and  without  guile^ 
John  i.  12.  Pf.  xxxii.  2.  Rom.  iv.  6,  7.  and  in  view  of  their 
rharafter  God  declares  them  righteous.  Thus  by  the  creative 
<7c'2  uf  God  their  ftate  is  changed  from  the  (late  of  dfeath,  to 
the  {late  of  life  :  and  from  the  ftate  of  condemnation  by  the 
law,  to  the  ftate  of  juftification  by  the  gofpel.  And  by  the 
judicialfcntential  aft  God  declares  them  righteous,  and  is  gracious 
and  alfo  juft  in  thus  juftifying  the  believer.  Thefe  afts  are 
uniied,  fo  that  their  juftification  is  not  twofold,  though  a  two 
/j^i  af?  is  complicated  therein.  Some  divines  have  made  ufe 
of  the  example  of  Zaleucus  the  Locrian  lawgiver  to  illuftratc 
the  doQiine  of  juflificaiion.  The  law  was  that  an  adulterer 
fhould  lofe  both  his  eyes.  The  prince  was  guilty.  The  Fa- 
ther and  lavvgicerptit  out  one  of  his  own  eyes,  to  prefcrve  one. 
fif  His»Soh's»ey<^Si  •"  But  this  is  npway,  parallel,  for  the  Father's 
r\£l  was*r^6t/1egil.:  f^he  Son  could  not  by  any  imputation  of 
the  Faiher'sdeed  be  declared  juftlfied  by  the  law  :  nor  had  he  any 
charafleranUveringto  the  law,  the  law  was  not  fatisfied,  magnified 
m?.de  honourable,  or  made  new,  nor  the  Son's  future  obedience 
fecured.  He  might  ofTend  again,  and  his  Father  and  he  lofe  their 
other  eyes  :  and  after  that  be  guilty  and  not  punifhable  by 
that  law, 

Stippofe  a  king  Is  inclined  to  receive  a  number  of  rebel 
fubjccls,  to  acquit  them  from  the  guilt  they  have  contrafted, 
and  the  punifhrnent  they  have  deferved  by  law,  to  beflow 
upon  them  farther  privileges,  and  make  them  good  fubjefts  in 
future.  Ir.  is  certain  *their  reiloratlon  muft  be  by  a  gracious, 
fov-irei'^n./uperlegal,  and  nat  a  judiciaL  f^ntcntial  ad:  for  the 
law  of  the  kingdom  as  now  conftitutcd  confidei's  them  as  reb- 
els, and  condemn  them.  If  they  ai;e  reftored  by  prerogative 
p.-)Wf:r,  without  doi:ij;  any  thing  to  honor  and  magnify  the 
hw,  and  Ihew-thc  kings  regard  tojufllce,  it  may  argue  weak- 
ricfs  In  hitp,  or  rigour  and  in iu. 'lire  in  the  law,   and    cmboIde!t 


ACC^ORDING  TO  THE  GOSrEL.  ug^ 

the  fame  or  others  to  tranfgrel's  in  expeftatibnof  iife.e  Impunity. 
And  if  thefe  perlons  arc  leftored,  their  temper  and  chara6ler 
remaining  the  lame,  with,  the  weapons  of  rebellion  in  their 
hands,  the  juftice  of  government  will  be  impeached,  all  loyal- 
ty  will  be  deftroyed,  and  the  fafeiy  of  the  ftate  endangeredr 
The  King  devifes  this  expedient,  he  fets  his  Son,  with  his  own 
conient  to  (land  in  the  rebels  ftead,  to  obey  the  law  perfectly, 
and  to  fuffer  the  penalty  fo  far  as  an  innocent  perlon  can, 
which  is  deemed  fufficient  to  do  honor  to  thj  law,  an.i  tcy 
redeem  thefe  rebels  from  under  it.  And  in  con fi deration  of 
what  the  prince  hath  done,  and  fufF^red  in  their  behalf,  ha 
paffes  an  aft  of  indemnity,  fufpends  the  operation  of  the  Uw, 
and  doth  not  impute  their  trefpafies  to  ihehi  according  to  it, 
but  puts  an  end  to  the  conflitution  and  law  as  it  now  ft:an..is, 
not  becaufe  it  is  unjuft,  but  weak  and  uqablq  to  give  life,  to 
thofe  who  have  forfeited  it,  though  it  was  ordained  to^onllDuc 
life  to  fuch  as  obeyed  it,  and  hath  thus  fdr  prtferved  life  to  il:e 
fubjefts  who  continue  loyal.  The  king  in  confequence  of  the 
obedience  and  fufferings  of  the  prince,  makes  by  him  a  new 
fettlement  of  the  kingdom,  whereby  rebels  of  5  certain  defcrip- 
tion,  fhall  be  received  to-  favor,  and  in  conjuiiFdon,,  with  thofe 
who  retained  their  loyalty  from  one  polity, 'ur^dcr  God  and 
the  Prince  by  whom  the  government  is  adminiileied  accordin,g 
to  the  new  conflitution  of  the  kingdom  The  compliance  of 
the  loyal  fubjefts  with  this  conflitution  of  things  is  the  condi- 
tion of  their  confirmation  in  their  prefent  /landing  unJef  the 
Prince  as  their  head  :  And  the  rebels  compliance  with  this  ncvy 
fettlement,  through  belief  of  its  truth,  aftually  palfcs  them  fro^u 
under  the  ancient  law  according  to  which  they  aic  rebels,  and 
brings  them  under  the  new  law  of  grace,  by  which  they  havtr 
liberation  and  life.  .  Thus  they  are  not  without  hw  to  the  kir;!^ 
but  under  law  to  the  Prince, 


296         JUSTIFICATION  AND  SALVATION. 

*  There  is  no  condemnation  belongs  to  them  :  They  have  ail 
tht  prileges  and  immunities  ot"  good  fubjecls  while  they  con- 
tfnue. loyal  to  the  king  and  Prince,  obey  the  old  commands 
'ond  new  :  and  the  prince  is  their  furety  that  they  fhall  not 
fciil  of  this^  This  is  a  ^better  liatement  than  that  illuftrated  by 
the  example  of  Zaleucus,  or  than  that  which  fuppofes  the 
original  Uw  to  have  been  conditional,  binding  us  or  our  furety^ 
or  any  juftificaiion  by  the  law  through  imputation.  If  a  few 
queflions  are  di^ed  and  anlweredit  will  ierve  more  fully  to 
diluciddtc  the  fubjeft.  How  comes  it  there  is  any  ground  of 
hope  for  ihefe  rebels  ?  Aniwcr  by  the  grace  of  the  king,  and 
not  for  any  antecedent  goodnefs  of  theirs.  Through  whofe 
interpoTitidn  is  this  reftoration  e{Fc6led  r  Anfwer  that  of  the 
P".  ince  :  for  the  ki^g  In  confid^ration  of  his  doings  and  fuffcr- 
ings,  hath  paHed  a  creative  aO.  in  their  favor.  By  what  law 
^re  they  juflified  P  not  by  Ibe.  old  law  by  which  they  are  rebels, 
but  by  the  new  law,  by  which  they  have  freedom  and  life. 
What  is  the  ground  or  matter  of  their  freedom  ?  Their  recep- 
tion of  and  I'ubminion  to  this  aft  of  grace,  is  their  acquittance 
from  oRcriecs  that  are  pad  :  and  their  demeaning  themfclves 
as  good  fubjefts  is  the  ground  of  the  kings  declaring  thcni  to  be 
[uch  according  to  the  fame  law.  Hovy  are  they  able  to  comply 
*.'Mih  this  new  rettlcment  i*  By  the  furetyfhip  and  a (Ti (lance  of 
the  Prince.  Surely  all  bpafting  in  themfelv^s  is  hereby  exclu- 
ded, and  if'they  glory  it  mufl  be  in  the  Lord  their  righteoufnefs 
•^nd  (liength*. 

The  doftrlne  of  the  imputation  of  the  fin  or  righteoufnefs  of 
One  to  another  as  it  hath  been,  and  is  now  he;ld  to  by  many,  doth 
ftot  afcribe  righteoufncrs  to  God,  and  in  its  direft  confequences 
blunts  convi61ion  for  fin,  and  deflroys  the  neceflity  of  pcrfonal 
iightecidnclsj  though  fiime  endeavor  to  obviate  this  latter  con- 
sequence jljut  in  vain.      For  if  a  man  njay  be  criminal  and  be 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  GOl^PEL.  297 

puniflied  in  law,  for  another  a£l  he  never  con  Tented  to,  b/ 
the  imputation  of  the  judge.  And  be  righteous  aUo  in  the  Gme 
way  by  another's  doings,  there  can  be  no  encouiagement  to 
avoid  perfonal  fin,  no  convi6lion  of  guilt  for  what  a  man  never 
committed  :  nor  any  need  of  perfonal  holinefs,  fince  he  may  be 
as  righteous  as  Chriil  -s,  as  fome  dare  to  fpeak,  and  yet  in  tem- 
per and  conduct  be  adevih  For  if  Satan  was  clothed  with  the 
borrowed  robes  of  t)eily  by  im'putation  he  would  be  a  devil  flill 
intrinficly  and  really.  And  fo  may  thejufli-fied  by  imputation 
be  really  ungodly  in  the  eye  of  the  law  and  gofoel,  for  faith 
alone  is  dc.d,  and  can  be  no  good  work  hi'^ii,  or  have  rood 
works  for  its  fruits. 

That  the  doElrine  of  evan^^dical  jupficaticn  may  zvani  nothing 
to  place  it  in  a  clear  point  of  tight,  the  faith  iruputcd/or  ri^htt^oiif. 
nefsfiall  be  dcfcribed  :  And  the  difdnEh  places  of  grace  i  Of  ChrijVs 
redemption  :   And  of  faith  in  this  affair^  he  fizzon, 

1,  The  believer  being  the  gofpei  fubjeft  of  judification,  bv 
the  imputation  of  his  faith  for  rightcoufnefs,  that  faith  which 
juftification  is  conne6led  with,  mufl  bedefcribed. 

The  objc£^  of  faith  in  general  is  the  revesled  truth  of  God 
in  Jefus  Chrift,  whether  it  is  contained  in  the  old,  or  new  te!- 
tament  fcriptures.  Where  one  obje^  of  faith  is  exprcffsd  in 
one  place,  it'mufl  Be'  underftood  ,  as  comprehending  all  otheis 
then  revealed  The  old  teflament  .faints  were  God's  belicveis 
under  his  then  revealed  charadcr..  '  They  were  Chrifl's  prophet- 
ic believers  fo  far  as  the  revelations  of  their  time  did  permit. 
To  us  chriflians  God  in  his  new  telhmcnt  characleris  the  prin- 
cipal objeft  of  faith  :  as  the  only  true  God,  the  God  and  Fa- 
ther, and  fender  of  Chrid.  John  v'  24,  John  xvii.  3.  I.  Pet, 
•li.  21. 

Jsifus  Chrifl  is  another  principal    objetl  of   faith   under  the 

various  ofHces  and  titles  he    fuHains,  and  as    having  cerformedi 

or  performing  the  fcveral  works  ai'cribed  to  him  :    And  Dartic- 

•ahrly    Cbvir:  as  crucified,    and    his    bicod  -flied  as    procuring 
O  o 


'.'^B  OF   FAITH. 

)edcmption,  according  to  the  new  teft'ament  as  made  by  it.  Th« 
Holy  Spirit  alio  in  his  perfon  and  offices  is  an  obje£l  of  faith, 
rhcfe  are  perfonal  objefts  :  the  whole  of  divine  revelation  is  an 
rmperfonal  obj>tt  of  faith.  Divine  truths  are  to  be  judged  of 
and  efleemed  according  to  their  importance,  and  conftituted 
connexion  with  juflification  and  falvation.  Some  truths  rrc 
fundamental,  but  how  far  thefc  are  extended  in  particular  cafes, 
is  indetciminableby  man.  Where  a  man's  belief  prevents  his 
holding  the  head,  or  manifeilly  dcftro)  s  the  foundation  of  evan- 
gelical practical  piety  and  virtue,  be  can  have  no  hope  of  falvz- 
lion  upon  good  grounds,  yet  it  becomes  not  us  to  judge  him,' 
but  after  trying  to  convince  him  of  his  error,  he  muft  be  left 
to  ins   own  mafler  to  fland  or  fall  by  his  decifion. 

But  as  to  the  afl^,  perluafion,  or  work  called  faith  witk 
which  juflification  and  falvation  are  ccnnefted,  it  is  reprefented 
in  {"crJpture  as  ijeingofa  peculiar  kind,  as  appears  by  its  fcrip- 
turc  names,  the  faith  of  God,  the  faith  of  Jefus  Chrift,  the 
faith  of  God's  eleO,  a  belief  with  the  heart  snd  with  all  the; 
heal  t,  faith  unfeigned,  &c.  and  alfo  bccaufe  devib  a.'id  wicked 
men  have  a  kind  of  faith,  and  yet  are  in  no  v.  ay  of  juflificl- 
ticn  or   (alvation  by    i\. 

I.  As  conneclcd  with  juftification  and  falvation,  faith  is  aa 
ad  or  work  of  one  born  of  God.    John  i.  12,  13.  I.John  v. 

Faith  Is  a  good  woik,  but  in  oiucr  to  a  good  work,  the  nian 
rnufl  fnfl  be  evangelically  gt>od,  according  to  that  maxim, 
*'  n;ukcthe  trte  go(;d  and  the  fruit  will  be  gt)od."  Tli«  gocdncis 
of  the  tree  is  the  caufe  of  the  goodncjs  oi  the  fruit  :'  the'  good- 
Tcfs  of  ihc  fruit  is  only  an  evidence  oi'  the  goodnefs  of  the  tice. 
Law  religionifls  and  natural  men  may  have  a  hind  of  J  ait  h,  ^i 
\:-?.\\  aswcik,  but  both  are  fpecificaliy  ditlcrent  from  the  faiih 
of  God's  elc61.  Frfith  is  not  of  nature  or  the  law.  F'lcih  and 
Vioi'dgivc  us  no  power  to  believe.  F;ijth  therefore  i»  no  pait 
b^  our  own  ri^litccvjnrjs,  uhuh  is  of  the  law.  I'he  renoun- 
^is  g  of  faith  DS   part  cf  our  own  righLcournels,  and  ai  oppclcd' 


.       OF  FAITH.  2  9.> 

to  the  righteoufncfs  oF  Chrlft  iinputed  to  us,  is  a  renunciation 
of  the  righteoufnefs  which  is  of  God  by  faith. 

2.  Faith  is  not  only  a  fupernatural,  and  fiiperlegal  ivoik, 
but  fpiritualand  divine  work. 

There  can  be  no  natural  power  in  any  to  perforiT;  a  firpcrnat- 
ural  aEi  :  a  thing  rauft  firfl  be,  and  then  art  :  tlie  efiecfc  of  a 
natural  exertion  can  only  be  natural.  Afts  from  one  kind  of 
life,  cannot  as  a  caufe  produce  another  kind  of  life.  It  is  o^'V.-. 
en  to  men  to  bdicvc^  and  faith   is  a  icork  zorought  in  God. 

It  never  was  a  duty,  or  in  man's  power  to  give  hiirsfe  f,  or 
to  a6l  from  that  life  which  he  hath  not,  in  leaking  to  obtain  jt. 
Faith  ordinarily  comes  by  hearing,  men  have  cars  to  hear,  and 
•  in  that  way  they  may  txpeft  faith,  if  they  join,  (eaiching  of 
the  fcriptures,  and  prayer  for  faith,  to  their  hearing  of  the 
word  of  God,  Faith  is  fpecifically  a  divine  lentimeai  or  pci- 
fuafion,  whereby  they  who  are  poflefTed  of  it,  fyrr.bolizs  with 
God  and  Chrift.  The  perfuafion  they  h:ive  of  divice  mUteis 
is  not  from  nature  or  human  inflitution.  Flefn  and  biojd 
cannot  reveal  it,  "  They  that  are  after  the  llefh  judge  after  ihe 
flefh,  according  to  the  fpirit  of  the  world."  J  >hn  vi  i.  i -. 
I.  Cor.  ii.  12.  But  the  fentiment  of  true  believers  is  accord- 
ing to  God,  Chrift,  and  the  fpirit.  As  human  weakncfs  and 
wickcdnefs  are  complicated  in  unbelief,  fo  there  is  a  divine 
greatnefs  and  goodnefs  in  true  faith. 

3.  Evangelical  faith  is  grounded  on  the  teflimony  or  witnefs 
of  God.    I.  John  v.  9,  10. 

They  who  believe  divinely  realize  God  as  fpeaking  in  liis 
word,  and  receive  it  as  inf;illibly  true,  becaufe  Ipoken  by  hi.-n 
who  cannot  lie.  Of  Chri'l,  John  the  baptift  faith,  '*  He  that 
receiveth  his  tcftlmony  haih  fet  to  his  (eal  that  God  is  true  : 
for  whom  God  hath  fent,  fpcaketh  the  words  of  God."  John 
iii.  33.  The  ThciTilonians  received  the  g-jfpcl  report,  "N  t 
a»i  the  word  of  man  but  of  God."    I.  The',  ii.  10.      They  ^^e  .t 


.o«  OF  FAiXa, 

0,7  • 

divine  impiefs  on  the  fcriptures,  as  they  do  on  the  vifible  works 
of  crf^ation. 

4.  In  faith  there   is  a  fpiritual  difccrnment  of  its  obje£l  and 
evidence. 

The   truths  believed  appear  in  a   true   point    of  viev/,   and 
though  there  fbouldbe  no  addition  to  their  fpcculativc  knowl- 
ed'^e,  yet  they  now   receive   the  things   therafelves  which  are 
ficcly  given  of  God,   and  10  afteflingly  apprehend  them,  as   to 
give   to   them  a  certain    ncwnefs,  and   real  exigence  in   their 
ininds,  in  their  divinity,  glory,  and  appoiated  connexion  with 
eternal  life,     lieb.  ?ci.  1.      The    unrenewed  in  knowledge  do 
rot  know  the  fpccific  nature  of  the  things  to  be  believed,  and 
fo   terminate  their  faith  upon  another  kind  of  objeft.  as  the  jews  ,. 
did  upon  another  kind  of  Meffioh,  then  the  triieChrift  of  God, 
or  upon  they  knczv  not  tehat^  like\the  Samaritans  who  intention- 
ally wovfhippcd  the  true  God,  but  did  not  know  him. 

5.  This  divine  perfuafion  is  fo  noble  that  the  things  of  God 
it  is  convrrfant  about,  a  have  preeminence  in  point  of  goodnefs 
and  i^portarce.  in  the  judgment  of  true  believers.  They  have  a 
right  eflimation  of  the  value  of  things,  and  it  is  their  faith  that 
fMrnifiics  them  with  it,  and  leads  them  to  aright  choice.  Heb, 

-  >:i.  24,  25,  a6.  Faith  in  this  particular  makes  a  vafl  differ- 
ence between  chriftians  and  others.  What  is  the  one  efleemeth 
r,s  all,  the  other  counteth  as  nothing  :  what  one  calleth  horns, 
the  other  callcth  zjiran^t  land.  Him  whom  the  world  lets  at 
■^iniioht,  the  other  owns  to  be  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father, 
and  God  under  the  veil  of  ficlli,  the  form  of  a  fervant,  and  the 
ignominy  of  a  crofs, 

6.  The  faith  conne£led  with  juftific^tion  and  falvation,  isvic- 
toiious  and  furmountelh  all  oppofition.  I.  John  v,  4.  They 
who  are  pofTcfrod  of  it  overcome  all  impediments  from  within 
or  without,  it  purifies  the  heart,  quenches  the  licry  darts  of  the 
'.vicked,  and  fpirituahrcth  the  carnal  mind. 


OF   FAITH. 


3^1 


y.  It  conftitutes  all  poITcffed  of  it  true  and  faithful.  T  .  '^i'im  = 
i,  5.  A61s.  viii.  3'^.  Rom.  x.  9.  Heb.  x.  22. 

It  is  unfeigned,  a  belief  of  the  heart,  with  a  true  heart,  and 
with  all  the  heart.  God  jiiftifies  none  but  ihe  finccre  in  whom 
there  is  no  guile. 

8.  The  faith  we  are  dcfcrlbing  involves  in  it  an  aft  of  con- 
federation. 

The  plirafa  of  coming  to  God  and  Chrifl  implies  this,  for 
the  original  word  for  cane,  is  of  the  root  from  whence  the  Eng- 
liHi  word  profelyte  is  derived.  But  none  can  be  profclytes  to 
God  and  Chrifl  but  in  the  way  of  cenfedfiration.  Juflification 
being  by  faith  in  Chrifh's  blood,  and  by  the  new  tcdameht  in 
his  blood,  faith  mufl  neccHTarily  involve  in  it,  the  layiwg  hold 
of,  and  becoming  a  party  in  that  covenant.  "Faith  profeiTed, 
includes  baptifm  for  the  remilBon  of  fins,  and  in  the  remiffion 
of  fins  pad,  juftiHcation  in  pait,  confids.  Rom.iii.  25,  and  iv.  6. 

9,  The  faith  which  is  unto  judincation  and  falvation,  is 
vital  and  operative. 

For  as  it  proceeds  from  the  life  of  God  in  man,  it  is  the 
fame  with  the  new  creature,  and  is  equivalent  to  kecpmg^ths 
commandments  of  God.  Gal.  v.  6,  and,  vi,  15.  I,  Cor.  vii.  19. 
It  is  a  work  of  God,  and  obeying  a  command.  John  vi.  29. 
I.  John  iii.  23.  The  neceffity  of  its  being  obediential  is  fully- 
proved  by  St.  James,  who  quotes  the  fame  text  to  prove  Abra- 
ham was  juftificd  by  works  when  he  offered  up  his  Son,  St. 
Paul  doth  to  prove  he  was  juftiiied  by  faith  :  which  is  a  vlnn 
evidence  that  Abraham  wcs  as  truly  God's  believer  m 
CGitfcnting  to  offer  his  Son,  for  lie  never  offered  him,  and 
which  was  alfo  a  work,  as  he  was  when  he  credited  the  divine 
promife.  In  crediting  the  divine  promifc,  he  was  juflificd 
by  the  creative  cc"?  of  God  and  had  tlic  fhte  of  a  righteous 
pdrfon  :  by  offering  up  his  Son  he  was  declared  to  be  righteous, 
hy  7i.  judicial  fentenlial  aEl.      In    this  way   the   two    Apofties 


3Q2  ^         OF  GRACp. 

tics  are  rcconcila'ole.  Paul  excludes  all  deeds  of  the  law  from 
his  faith,  and  James  includes  the  fruits  of  faith  in  his.  They 
who  beiieve  divinely  praflice  divinely.  For  faith  is  cither  a 
good  work  itfelf,  or  the  foundation  of  all  gofpel  good  works. 
And  if  in  the  iriftant  of  juflification  its  effefts  and  fruits  arc  not 
produced,  yet  God  views  it  as  operative,  and  declares  none 
righteous  by  the  imputation  of  faith,  who  are  not  doers  of 
righteoufnefs,  as  opportunity  offers,  according  to  the  gofpel 
law. 

2.  The  diflinfl  places  of  grace  :  Chrifl's  redernption  :  and 
faiih  in  jciflification  and  falvation,  are  to  be  confidered. 

Chrlftionity  is  not  only  the  new  kingdom  of  God,  the  new 
teftament  covenant  and  law  :  But  it  is  definitively  the  religion 
o^Javing  grace.  We  are  juflified  by  grace,  and  faved  by  grace^ 
even  through  ChriHi's  redemption,  and  faith  , 

Grace  ia  a  large  [qx\^)Q  is  the  fame  with  kindnefs  or  favor. 
Gen.  xxxix.  21.  original.  Zach.  iv  '^ ,  And  as  it  refpefts  the 
prefenl  fubje£l  it  may  be  confidered  as  the  propitioufntfs  of  the 
divine  nature,  and  immanent  in  God  :  or  as  an  aft  or  effeft 
proceeding  from  that  caufe  whereby  God  is  gracious.  All  fa- 
vor and  kindnefs  which  is  gratuitous,  and  not  a  due  debt  is 
grace  :.  but  what  is  of  debt  is  repugnant  to  grace.  Rom.  iv.  4, 
"  /  Grace  confidered  as  kindnefs  is  cppofed  to  wrath,  and  as  it 
\s  gratuitous  favor,  it  (lands  oppofed  to  legal  juf  ice.  The  gifts 
of  nature  and  providence  however  unmerited,  are  not  grace 
in  the  gofpel  fcnfe.  Whatever  is  of  grace  tranicends  nature  as 
well  as  law.  There  is  no  fuch  thing  as  natural  or  legal  grace, 
Chriftianity  is  the  religion  of  grace  as  oppulcd  to  rigor  and 
feveiity  and  wrath  and  to  debt, 'to  legal  juflice,  and  all  that  is 
natural.  It  alfo  refults  from  the  will,  purpofe,  and  plealure  of 
God,  and  is  therefore  of  pofitive  injlitution,  Eph.  i.  5.  9,  11. 
The  religion  of  faving  grace  originated  from  the  purpole  of  thfc 
-jivine  wilk 


OF  CHRIST'S  REDEMPTION        '  ^o;J 

Pure  benevolence  direfted  by  wifdom,  originated  tlic  plan  of 
redernption  and  Talvation,  foreordained  ChriH:,  chole  us  in  him 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  lent  Chrifl  in'the  fulnefs 
of  time  to  eft'ed  it,  antecedent  to  any  thing  merited  by  Chrif! 
or  us.  This  is  the  love  which  is  the  caufe  of  the  gift  of  Chrift 
and  of  all  things  with  him. 

In  the  matter  of  juflification  and  falvation,  the  rcttleiT^er.t  of 
thele  ftates  is  of  fovereign  grace.  It  is  God  that  JufLiHcs  by  a 
Sovereign  fuperlegal  ati,  or  by  grace.  Rom.  iii.  24.  lliis  wab 
creatively  done  at  the  refurrcQion  of  Chrin.  Rotn.  iv.  25^ 
And  it  aftually  takes  place  when  individuals  believe  wiili  their 
heart,  for  then  they  become  entitled  to  impunity  and  life. 
God  is  in  this  a£i:  gracious,  to  the  ungodly  by  law,  who  are 
believers  in  ChriH  :  and  ju/i  to  Chrift  and  believers  by  fuUil- 
ling  his  engagement  and  promife.  Rom.  iii.  26.  I.  John  i.  9,' 
By  grace  alfo,  we  are  laved  according  to  the  mercy  of  God 
oar  Savior,  even  through  Jefus  Chrifl  our  Savior.  Eph.  ii.  8^ 
Titus  iii.  5. 

Through  Chria's  reile.iiption  the  fLate  of  righteoufnofs  arid 
falvation  is  creatively  made,  and  according  to  this  fetileincnt, 
urd  not  according  to  the  law,  God  exercises  his  grace  and  ju(- 
tice  in  the.juftifiication  and  falvation  of  believers.  The  new 
tedament  is  niade  in  ChrilU's  blood  whereby,  and  according"  to 
which,  wc  are^J'uflified  and  iaved.'  This  redemption  is  ili'l- 
ground  of  our  deliverance  from  the  law  of  lin  and  dc^ath,*  3wd  of 
<.iur  ju(lificali'Yi  by  faith  in  Chrifl  h 6m  all  "thin gS;  fr(/rn\vJhicii 
we  cannot  \>t  juftified  b^'.  thejaw  of  J^Ioft^s.  Leghl i His  migj it 
be  juftifie'd'froiji  yj?;*, things  by^MoIi^s'  lew,' that' is  as  to  .iheJr  " 
leculur.  carnal  an^  nayqnal  mtereflj'feuL  riot  a's^p'ertaining  to  tijti 
conlcienee.  The  redempHofi  of  Chtifl  (land?  rn  lubordinaiiou 
'.;o  tjie  ^race  of  God,  a.nd  is  the  gi;;ound-  on  whi.ch  the  iaiw-  of 
fa/th  is  .mad6,  and  the  jiiedium'  through  whIcK  grace  reigns 
through  righteoufncfs  unto  eternal  life  by* Jefuj  Chrifl  oiir  Lcu^v, 


304  '      OF  CHRIST--S  REDEMPTION. 

Thepi.^ce  of  faith  in  our  juftlficationand  falvatioa  is  fubor- 
dinate  to  the  grnci  of  God,  and  the  redemption  of  Chrifl;. 

Yet  faith  is  of  importance  in  this  affair,  becaufe  faith  as  our 
adsiiJ  work  is  imputed  to  us  for  righteoufnefs  or  jaftificationo 
It  is  indeed  a  work  of  the  new  man  wrought  in  God,  yet  it  is 
tlie  matier  oif  our  jaftifi(^tion,  as  much  as  the  perfeft  obedience 
of  any  under  the  law  would  be  the  matter  of  his  jufliftcation  by 
law.  In  the  former  cafe  the  reward  is  of  grace,  but  in  the 
latter  it  is  of  debt.  The  creative  aft  of  God  hath  made  a  (late 
of  righteoufnefs  through  Chrifl's  redemption  :  and  the  imputa- 
tive att  of  God  hath  put  faith  in  the  place,  and  made  it  the 
inatter  of  our  juftification  before  God,  as  the  perfeft:  fmlefs 
obedience  and  fufferings  of  Chrift  upon  cUr  account,  was  the 
matter  of  his  juflilication  before  ^God  by  the  law.  God  impu- 
ted this  to  him  for  righteoufnefs,  and  juflified  him  in  fpirit 
when  he  raifed  him  from  the  dead.  A$  what  Chrift  did  and 
fullered  was  upon  our  account,  fo  our  faith  is  imputed  to  us 
for  juflification,  as  having  fulfilled  the  gofpel  Uw,  And  here- 
by all  boafting  is  excluded.   R.om.  iii.  2'j. 

\Vc  utterly  exclude  an)'  imputation  of  Chrifl's  righteoufnefs 
i'or  any  purpofc  lyhatever.  We  thankfully  own  he  is  made 
o{  God  to  us,  wifdoro,  righteoufnefs,  fanftification  and  rederap- 
tion.  And  wifdom,  fanftiliqation  and  reJemption  in  the  fame 
way  that  ha  is  righteoiifneTs.'  !3ut  who  was  eyer  m^de  wife,  or 
holy,  or  |-eQCcmed,  by  the  imputation  o;  another's  wifdom,  fane- 
lity  oP'red'emption  to  him  ?  -Common  fenfe  reprobates  the  idea 
:.3  rid^culous^andabfurd,  be  it  orthodo»y^'or  what-it  will. 

Chrrfl  is  the  author  of  vviklom.,  Tandi^frcaiion  and  r^aemptipn  , 
'hm\  God  hatV  made  him  fo 'by  what  he  hath  done  ^nd  Juffercd 
'.jpon-ouraccoun;.  .and  by  his\word  and  fpirit  lie  works  thefe 
'  m  ajid  fqr  us  :  and  To  he  is  tbc  author  of  t,hc  flate  of/ighteoul- 
*tiefs,  and  hath  brought  in  eveflafting  rigHleOuIncIj^'by  the  aS 
'^f  Cod  imputing  faith  to  believers  i^x  their  juflification. 


OF  SALVATION.  305 

The  advocates  for  the  imputed  rightcoufnefsof  Chrift  are  fo 
fenfible  of  the  tendency  of  this  their  doftrine  to  f'xclude  real 
perfonal  righteoufnefs,  though  they  generally  intend  no  fuch 
thing  ;  that  they  take  great  pain?  to  guard  againft  the  bad  ef- 
fefts  it  may  have  upon  men.  After  they  have  told  us  that  the 
juIUfied  believer  is  as  righteous  as  Chrifl:  Is,  by  imputation: 
They  exhort  us  to  be  holy,  and  not  to  fin  that  grace' may  abound. 
And  yet  tell  us  our  own  righteoufnefs,  by  which  they  under- 
ftood  faith  and  good  works,  are  as  filthy  ra^s  aiid  mud  be  re- 
nounced. Their  contradi6lions  and  inconfiftencies  caufe  them 
much  trouble.  And  thsir  doing  and  undoing  bewilders  others, 
ifnot  themfelves.  If  the  doftrine  of  the  imputed  righteouf- 
nefs of  Ghrifl  was  true,  it  would  naturally  yield  conclufions 
friendly  to  praftical  holinefs  :  and  there  would  be  no  fuch 
great  occafion  to  warn^en  againfl  drawing  fuch  evil  conTequen- 
ces  from  it,  as  they  are  juftly  afraid  they  will.  If  Chrifl's  right- 
eoufnefs imputed  to  them  for  jufhificatien,  is  fufficient,  what 
need  is  thereof  any  other  ?  If  our  being  doers  of  righteoufnefs 
is  of  no  importance,  or  if  all  that  we  do  mufi:  be  renounced  as 
filthy  rags,  who  will  ever  feek  after  perfonal  righteoufnefs  ? 
If  the  hearts  and  lives  of  thefe  men  were  not  often  better  than 
their  heads,  and  their  principles  lead  them  to  be,  their  doflrinc 
would  be  much  more  fatal.  But  it  is  certainly  beiter  to  have 
the  heart  and  head  correfpond  together,  they  ought  to  do,  and 
may  do,  according  to  the  above  fbatement  of  the  doclrine  of 
j 'edification.  Only  fettle  it  that  we  are  juftified  by  the  gofpM 
and  not  by  the  law,  by  the  new  teftament,  and  not  the  old  : 
That  God's  grace  undc*:r  the  dire6lion  of  Vv  Ifdom  contrived  this 
method:  that  the  redemption  of  Chrift  is  the  ground  or  rca- 
fan  of  the  making  of  th-  new.  teflan:ent,  and  ta^t  faith  is  impu- 
ted to  us  for  righteoufnefs  according  to  thsJt,  aad  there  is  no 
great  danger  of  error,  becaufe  thefe  are  probable  fa£ls. 


3o5  OF   SALVATION. 

As  lo  iatvation  the  terms  for  that  are  the  fame  with  juftifica- 
tion.  For  if  any  are  juftified  by  grace  through  faith,  fo  they 
are  iaved  by  grace  through  faith.  And  if  faith  alone  will  an- 
:vver  for  jultihcation,  it  will  forfalvatign  the  end  of  faith.  la 
juftilication  fai:h  is  confidered  as  produ6live  of  fruits  :  in  falva- 
tion  as  having  produced  them.  But  if  the  juftified  have  not 
opportunity  to  do  as  they  would,  the  will  is  accepted  for  th« 
(Iced,  as  it  was  in  Abraham's  offering  up  his  Son. 

THE  theoretic  explanation  of  the  Science  of  Sanftity  is  nov/ 
liniilied.  One  praftical  obfervation  may  be  fubjoined  that  the 
goipcl  contains  a  perfect  rule  of  life  and  righteoufnefs  :  grants 
no  liberty  to  fin,  and  affords  or  ofters  to  all  lufficient  ailiftance 
to  enable  them  to  comply  with   the  terms  therein  propofed. 

Among  all  the  rejectors  of  the  gofpel  doctrines,  few  have  con- 
demned itsmoraliry  :  but  moft  havefpoken  highly  of  itj  as  con- 
taining the  bcfl  directory  or  rule  of  life,  for  the  regulation  of 
temper,  converi'ation,  and  condu6t,  towards  God.  man  and 
ourfelves,  thit  is  any  where  to  be  found,  in  whatever  flation 
and  relation  of  iifc,   wemay  be  placed. 

The  roval  iavv  of  God  as  written  upon  the  hearts  of  men,  pub- 
iifhedbv  Mofes  and  explained  by  the  Prophets,  containing  the 
love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbours;  and  the  doing  to  others 
as  we  would  that  they  fliould  do  unto  us,  contains  a  moft;  ex- 
cellent fvftem  of  piety,  righteoufnefs  fobriety  and  charity.  As 
Ohrift  laith  he  com^  to  fulfil  the  laa\  fo  one  fenfein  which  he 
(loth  this  is  by  extending  and  enlarging  it.  In  his  fcrmon  on 
i:ie  mount,  and  in  his  other  difcouries,  he  adds  lome  things  ito 
the  law.  Chriftianitv  contains  new  caules,  degiees,  meaiurcs, 
(objects  and  motives  of  duty  to  angels  and  men.  In  the  gofpel 
\\6  have  the  ckarcft  notices  of  righteoufnefs  and  true  holincfs, 
•':>  •^-.mr9i  : ;  <i  nioft  precious  promiics  to  make  us  partakers  of 


CONCLUSIO>r.  307 

the  divine  nature,  and  to  animate  us  to  cleanf:;  ourfclves  from 
all  filthinefs  of  flefli  and  fpirit,  and  to  perfe£l  holinefs  in  liie 
fcarof  Goff,  The  grace  of  God  which  hath  apncnved  to  all  m-a 
bringing  (alvation,  teaches  that  denying,  &c. 

One  thing  mora  might  be  added,  viz.  that  with  the  gofp -l 
propofal  of  (alvation  fufficicnt  grace  and  a (li  fiance  are  ofi'ercd  t  > 
men  to  enable  them  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  it.  The 
Chriflian  religion  is  adapted  to  the  prcfent  ft^te  of  man  in  tl.e 
world,  and  conhders  him  as  what  he  is,  and  not  wh.it  Urv.z 
havefuppofed  him  to  be.  It  dorla  not  re<^uire  him  to  nH 
from  principles  which  he  is  not  podcifTcd  of,  in  ordctr  to  olit m 
what  he  wants.  Men  could  not  receive  the  grace  (.f  Go'l  in 
vain,  if  it  was  not  given  ;  nor  rejeft  the  counfel  of  Godagjinft 
themfelves  by  a  non  compliance  with  the  means  of  falvation,  if 
there  was  no  counfel  of  God  that  they  fhouid  i\ft-.  them  and 
that  with  fuch  ufe  as  they  can  make,  they  will  by  his  jnnce 
prove  efFeftual  to  theflefired  end.  The  helps  the  gofpe!  ;iff,):-r!$ 
or  offers  are  various,  confifting  in  God's  preventing  grace,  in 
the  drawings  of  the  Father,  in  the  free  fwpcrnal  influence  of  the 
fpirit,  in  the  power  of  prayer,  in  the  un6lion  t.f  the  holy  one; 
Chrifh  Jefus,  who  is  a  magazine  of  grace,  and  of  hrs  fulnefs 
we  may  receive  a  iupply  of  aii  our  needs,  in  the  prevaleiiry  of 
his  intercefiion,  in  his  divine  example,  ui  the  goJpel  miniihv, 
in  the  holy  facramcnts,  in  the  communion  of  faints,  and  ^r.  the 
rciniflry  of  angels  :  all  which  ferve  to  begin  or  carry  on  a  wood 
work  in  men,  and  by  whicli  God  y/oiks  in  m'^n,  to  will  and  to 
do  of  iiis  good  pleafure.  Men  cnonot:  he  n.-nlf'tors  of  a  (;:lva- 
tion  not  offered  them  fo  as  they  might  receive  ;r. 

Since  the  whole  defign  of  the  rrljgion  of  God  is  to  rcflorc 
racn  to  holinefs  and  happinefs,  it  h.)ih  been  our  aim  in  this  th.*- 
ory  to  promote  this  end.  The  better  th::  theoretic  part  is  u:.<!er- 
flood  by  men,  the  more  likely  it  will  be  to  have  a  piav^tical 
influence  on  their  hearts    and    lives.      Con^iflency  is  ^v:^^'.  ?^-- 


3o8  CONCLUSION. 

human  mind  delights  in  :  the  divine  plan  is  perfeft  felf  con^- 
fillency,  and  the  clearer  our  view  of  it  is,  the  more  readily  fhall 
we  dcquiefce  in  it.  Whether  we  have  contributed  any  thing 
towarcs  giving  fuch  a  view  of  the  ways  of  God  to  man,  the 
reader  is  left  to  judge  for  himfelf.  If  any  by  what  hath 
been  written  be  engaged  to  acquire  a  habit  of  thinking  upon 
fubjeftsnot  much  attended  to,  and  the  holy  fcriptures  recover 
their  due  eftr.em  and  place,  from  which  they  have  been  long 
excluded  by  tradition  and  the  undeferved  veneration  entertained 
for  the  luppofed  authority  of  fallible  men  :  and  the  fearches  of 
the  fmccre  be  direfted,  their  faith  increaled,  and  their  lives  bet- 
tered, the  author  will  not  think  his  labor  loft  : — For  any  good 
effeQed  by  this  well  meant,  little  encouraged,  and  much  oppof- 
ed  publication,  may  the  one  God  of  grace,  through  the  on« 
Lord  jcfus  Chrift,  by  the  fame  Holy  Spirit  have  all  the  praife. 


THE  END. 


CONTENTS 


>ay»'H>-,^asW-WBHHMWiLl.'»LI. VT'.  IffJWff^ 


CHAP.  I, 

AN     IDEA     or     «IOO.  lO 

CHAP.  II. 

®F    TMB    ORIGINAL   CREATION'  AND  KINGBOM    O?    COD.        4I 

An  idea  of  the  original  creation  and  kingdom  of  God,  confd- 
ired  materially,  locally,  and  politically  :  The  Conjiitutiony 
law  and  fubjeHs  of  that  polity  :  ct>nje£lures  when  it  wdi 
created  :  the  Mofaic  creation  not  the  firft,  nor  out  of 
nothing  :  neither  was  itfpiritual  nor  heavenly^  but  natural, 
terrejlrial  and  animal  only  :  the  original  and  prefcnt,  nat- 
ural and  Ugaljlate  of  the  whole  oj  man. 

CHAP.  III. 

THE     HOLY     SCR  IPTUR,EI,  .  8B 

A  ddineati»n  of  the  charaEler  of  the  Scriptures,  as  holy,  pop- 
ular, unphilofophical,   antimetaphyfical,  and  thcopoiiticaL 

CHAP.    IV. 

o  r     G  O  D     T  H  E     r  A  T  r  I  R  R  .  i  O  1 

GJ the  one  God  as  the  Father.*  a  f.ngular  intellcBualijI  : 
hew  a  and  ths  Father  :  Joundation  of  his  paternity,  cf  c. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  V. 

©PTHESONOFGOD.  112 

Of  the  divine  imperial  Son  of  God,  in  his  perfonal  conjlitution 
and  origination,  by  his  Bethleher/ietical  generation,  concep- 
tion, and  nativity:  zjhich  was  not  humiliating,  but  honor- 
ary :  His  natures  divine  and  human,  and  diginity  there- 
by  :  His  pro^rcfs  towards  perfeEiion,  and  the  completion 
of  his  generative  capacity  as  Gcd  with  God  in  the  begin- 
nincr  of  the  go/pel  epoch  or  era. 

CKAP.    VI. 

OF       THE        INCARNATION,       H  UM  I  L  I  AT  I  O  N,  .  A  N  D 

MISSION     OF     CHRIST,  I43 

The  my  fiery  oj  Godlintfs,  or  the  incarnation  of  the  Mefftah 
jcfus  Chrifl  explained  :  The  farm  of  God  :  His  becom- 
ing fief  i  in  the  form  of  afcrvant  in  the  likenefs  of  men  : 
His  humiliation  unto  death  :  Exaltation  to  the  throne  of 
Cod  :    And  the  refitution  of  all  things  into  the   kingdom 

0f  God  all  in  all.   &c. 

0 
CHAP.    VII. 

07     THE     OFFICIAL     TITLE     CHRIST.  169 

./  the  perfonUl  name  Jefus  :  His  ojfice  as  Chrif  :  Dignity 
as  the  one  Lord  :  A  creator  nnder  this  charaSler  :  His 
ereation  a  proof  of  his  divinity  of  fate  and  nature. 

CI-IAP.    VIII. 

OF     THE      HOLY     GHOST.  1  9© 

■■  'f  the    Holy   Ghoft.  :   his  perfonality,    divinity,   and  office  : 

fi  peculiar  kind  of  ptrfon  :   the  zeorfJiip  due  to  him  accord- 
ing to  his  idea  and   work. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  IX. 

OF     THE     TRINITY, 


197 


Of  the    Trinity  :   the    Father  the  Jirjl  per/on  :   the  Son  the 
Second  perf on  :  the   Holy    Ghoft    the  third  Jxrf on  :  ho^ 
they  are  three,  and  yet  one  in  ejenee  or  nature^  and  in  the 
Sovereignty  of  God's  kingdom, 

CHAP.     X. 

OF     TME     KINGDOM     OF     COD.  2I5 

The  Kingdom  of  God  of  which  the  Chrijiian  Trinity  are  the 
PerSonal  Sovereignty ^  defined  and  deScribed. 

•CHAP.   XI. 

OF       REGENERATION.  IQf 

The  way  of  entering  the  kingdom  of  God  by  regeneration  of 
Sate  and  nature,  deScribcd, 

CHAP.     XII. 

OF     A     TESTAMENT     COVENANT     AND     LAW.  2J> 

Of  a  Tcftament  Covenant,  and  Law:  of  the  old  :  cf  the 
new:  compared:  the  new  the  better  Tefl  amen  t:  ChriS  the 
Mediator  of  the  new  j  his  mediation  :  all  his  ofices  w'--- 
diatoriaL 

CHAP.    XIII. 


CMRISTIANITY       A       NEW       C:  K  -  A  T  I  0  N       O  1'       COu 
BY       CHRIST. 

CkriSianity  confidered  as  the  new  creation  of  God  by  ChrS  : 
And  wherein  it  confi/ls. 


■' :  7 


CONTENTS. 

CHAP.   XIV. 

Of     JUSTIFICATION    AND     SALVATION,  284 

Of  jufdjication  and  faivation  :  both  impojjihk  to  meti  by  tke 
lazj,  either  by  their  own  right eoufnefs^  or  the  righteoufncfs 
cf  another  imbutcd  to  them  :  the  gofpel  way  of  jujlif.c'ation 
andfalvatioti  is  of  grace,  through  Chrijl^  by  faith  imputed^ 
and  by  confcqucnt  new  obedience. 


ERRATA. 
?.ge  11.  line  34*  for  45.  read  4.  p.  ii.  L  32.  r.  creature- 
tianlcendant.  p.  35*  !•  5j  6.  r.  though  all  are  now  natively  aliens, 
yet  we  fee  f®ine  faftively  nigh.  p.  36.  I.  21.  for  this  r.  his.  p. 
64,  1.  i8j  for  of  r.  or.  p.  72  I.  29,  30,  r.  Ploiinus  Cardan,  Fi- 
nelius.  p.  84.  i.  /^.  r.  Antoninus,  Zamolxis  Plotinus.  p.  97. 
1.  9.  r.  ai'cititious.  p.  140.  I.  15,  for  corp  r.  continuators.  p. 
183.  r.  Prctokos.  p.  198.  1.  12.  r.  in  a  degree  and  manner 
tranfceudant.  p.  202.  I.  16.  r.  he  was  in  710  two  ftates,  p.  205. 
1.  15.  r.  for  analogy,  ontology,  p.  206.  1.  30.  r.  Patripafiian?. 
p.  220.  r,  und  to  men  a  religio  rcmedians,  a  remedial  religion, 
and  new  to  both.  p.  228.  1.  2.  for  mothers  r.  matters,  p.  228. 
1.  1.  dole  no.  p.  234.  1.  13.  X,  from  above,  p.  236.  1.  5.  for 
rights,  :.  rites.  !.  10.  for  dew,  r.  new.  253.  1.  25".  r.  Ahab.  p. 
Jt58.  1.  18.  v.  Tinda'.  p.  284.  1.  13.  for  bodies,  r.  bounds. 
^ 


,B?5i:^ 


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